The West Midlands is the latest UK region to commit to the roll out of electric scooters – with a trial set to get underway in Birmingham and Coventry from 10 September.
The public will initially be able to ride e-scooters within the immediate vicinity of two city centres, with an ambition to expand as the trial progresses.
Later on, the scooters will also be deployed in Sandwell (West Bromwich), Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Warwickshire.
The scheme will be delivered by Voi, the company which launched Europe’s first dockless e-scooter service in 2018 and now operates in 45 cities across 11 countries.
As per DfT requirements, the scooters will be limited to a maximum speed of 15.5mph on roads. In pedestrianised areas a lower limit of 5mph will be applicable.
They can be ridden on any 30mph or 20mph road, however the council have advised e-scooter users to use designated cycle routes wherever possible.
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The West Midlands is proud to be leading the way on future transport development, and it is great to be able to partner with Voi and reveal our plans for e-scooters across the region.
“E-scooters will help bring more flexibility, choice, and greener travel solutions for the West Midlands, at a time when we are facing a climate emergency and urging people to leave the car at home.
“E-scooters unquestionably offer a healthier, more environmentally friendly, alternative to the car for shorter journeys around our towns and cities, which will in turn help to ease traffic congestion and tackle air pollution.”
There was a recent article in the Observer by Agnes Poirier about the proliferation of the menace of e-scooters in Paris. She writes that Parisians live in constant fear of being knocked down by the e-scooter speedsters an of tripping over the discarded scooters that litter our pavements, a hazard for the elderly, the blind and those pushing prams. She concludes “Don’t let e-scooters poison your lives as they did ours. Tame the monsters before they tame you”
Robert Bolt, St Albans
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