E-scooters: This is how we roll

In brief

• July 2020 saw rental e-scooters become legal on roads in Great Britain for the first time.
• There are significant safety concerns, which 12-month trials will seek to ameliorate.
• Private e-scooters and other micromobility devices remain prohibited save on private land.

On 4 July 2020, rental e-scooters became legal on roads in Great Britain for the first time, as part of plans to ease pressure on public transport during the COVID-19 pandemic. Introducing the new measures, the Department of Transport explained: ‘E-scooters offer the potential for fast, clean and inexpensive travel that can also help ease the burden on transport networks and allow for social distancing.’ Importantly, these changes do not apply to privately owned e-scooters, it is said to ‘avoid a flood of poor-quality scooters onto the streets’.The intention is to facilitate trials of rental e-scooter schemes to take place over the next 12 months.

E-scooters are a common sight on urban commutes. Nonetheless, strictly