Source: Zag Daily

Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, has said that e-scooters will “inevitably” be legalised in the country. Currently, all e-scooters are prohibited from use on Scottish roads and pavements.

In an interview with The Scotsman, Ms. Hyslop suggested the potential for Scotland to join e-scooter trials, following the UK Department for Transport’s extension of such trials for the fourth time south of the Scottish border.

“When the UK Government announced that trials were to take place, a deadline was set for local authorities to register their interest in participating,” a Transport Scotland spokesperson expressed. “This deadline was set without consultation or advance notice being given to the Scottish Government, and therefore did not provide enough time for the relevant Scottish legislative changes to be made in the context of resources being deployed to respond to the pandemic.

As a result, it was not possible for any trials to take place in Scotland, however we will continue to engage with the Department for Transport on developments in this area.”

Transport Scotland outlined the required legislative changes, including amendments to devolved Primary Legislation, Secondary Legislation, and Traffic Regulation Orders.

Welcoming e-scooters

National shared transport charity CoMoUK is enthusiastic about extending e-scooter trials into Scotland, highlighting their potential contribution to climate change targets.

“An e-scooter trial would give Scots a brand new and legal way of trying out this great new form of transport, which could make a significant contribution to helping Scotland and the UK overall meet their climate change targets,” CoMoUK Chief Executive Richard Dilks states. “This is especially relevant given that Scotland has recently given up trying to meet its shorter-term climate targets.“

CoMoUK advocates for regulated rental e-scooter schemes due to their regulations, including top speeds, hours of operation, where they can be ridden, technical specifications, and rigorous safety standards. According to the charity, 1 serious safety incident only occurs in every 500,000 trips.

This has been contrasted with unregulated and illegal personal e-scooter usage, stating that it’s “sadly being allowed to shape public perceptions about this mode of transport.”

Ms. Hyslop emphasized the importance of e-scooter safety considerations before permitting rental trials, echoing the sentiment shared by CoMoUK.

Richard Dilks of CoMoUK added, “If there is to be a trial of rental e-scooters in Scotland, there should be an open dialogue between the UK and Scottish Governments so any lessons learned south of the border can be shared.“