Third Report: E-scooters: pavement nuisance or transport innovation?

The government partly agrees, stating that developing a regulatory framework is a priority, but actual decisions and legislation are deferred until after the evaluation of e-scooter trials to fully understand their impacts.

The government partly agrees, acknowledging the priority of an effective regulatory framework. However, they state that fully understanding the impacts of e-scooters through trial evaluations is a necessary prior stage before making long-term legislative decisions.

The government agrees with the recommendation and will evaluate the impact on modal shift using trip data and user surveys from e-scooter trials across England, aiming to encourage e-scooter use to replace short car journeys.

The government agrees with the recommendation to collect data on modal shift during the e-scooter rental trials. They commit to evaluating the impact through trip data for every journey and by surveying users to understand their alternative travel modes.

The government's response focuses on using trial data to determine e-scooter design requirements and inform specifications for privately owned e-scooters, rather than addressing the committee's point about ensuring trials are accessible and take place in diverse locations.

The government's response outlines plans to use trial data for determining e-scooter design requirements and informing specifications for privately owned e-scooters, failing to address the recommendation for maintaining oversight of trial locations and ensuring geographical spread.

The government partly agrees, noting the driving licence requirement is due to existing legislation. They state they will consider all trial evidence before making specific decisions on this matter, should e-scooters be legalised in the long term.

The government partly agrees but defers a decision on driving licence requirements for e-scooter users, stating they will consider all evidence from trials before making specific decisions should e-scooters be legalised.

The government partly agrees, acknowledging mixed stakeholder views on mandatory e-scooter insurance and committing to consider all available evidence, including trial outcomes, before making a firm policy decision, while aiming to avoid unnecessary burdens.

The government response is a verbatim repetition of the recommendation and does not provide an actual response to the committee's call for monitoring.

The government agrees, stating that they have already instructed local authorities and e-scooter operators to use local knowledge and geo-fencing technology to implement variable speed limits below the 15.5mph maximum, suitable for specific local environments.

The government agrees and clarifies that local authorities should apply local knowledge and geo-fencing technology to set variable speed limits below the 15.5mph maximum in specific areas, such as busy city centres.

The government fully accepts the recommendation, committing to use data from rental trials and international evidence to determine appropriate e-scooter design requirements and inform minimum standard specifications if privately owned e-scooters are legalised.

The government's response focuses on using trial data to determine e-scooter design requirements and inform minimum safety standards, but it does not address the recommendation to encourage or provide helmets to users.

The government agrees, stating that trial areas and operators are already tasked with minimizing pavement riding using technology like geo-fencing and user education. They are also considering various monitoring options, including camera and sensor data, and the potential for user account loss for repeat offenders.

The government agrees, detailing its intention to monitor pavement riding through geo-fencing, user education, and new technologies like camera and onboard sensor data. They are also considering sanctions, such as account loss for repeat offenders, and will evaluate the efficacy of these measures throughout the trials.

The government agrees that if e-scooters are legalised, pavement use would remain prohibited, consistent with existing law that reserves pavements for pedestrians.

The government agrees with the committee's concern about street clutter from e-scooters and notes that various operational approaches are being encouraged in trials to understand implications and inform future regulatory frameworks.

The government agrees with the recommendation and is monitoring various approaches to e-scooter deployment, including free-floating, docking, and geo-fenced parking, through ongoing trials to gather insights for a robust future regulatory framework.

The government partly agrees with the environmental observations, noting the potential for e-scooters to reduce emissions and acknowledging concerns about scooter lifetime and charging processes. They state that environmental impacts are being monitored as a key component of the cost benefit analysis for the trials.

The government partly agrees, noting that while local areas were requested to consider environmental objectives in trials, it was not a condition set by the government. They state that environmental sustainability will be a key consideration if e-scooters are legalised long-term, and environmental impacts are being monitored as part of the trial evaluation.

The government accepts the recommendation to monitor the environmental impacts of e-scooters during rental trials, stating this monitoring will be a key component of the cost-benefit analysis informing any longer-term policy decisions regarding e-scooter legalisation.

The government agrees, stating that the monitoring and evaluation contract has been awarded and the framework for evaluation is being finalised and will be made publicly available.

The government agrees to publish its central evaluation framework for the rental trials, confirming that the monitoring and evaluation contract has been awarded and the finalised framework will be made publicly available.

The government states it will use trial data and evidence from other countries to determine appropriate e-scooter design requirements, which will inform minimum standards if privately owned e-scooters are legalised for use on UK roads.

The government agrees with the recommendation and commits that, should e-scooters be legalised in the long term, pavement use would remain prohibited to address concerns about enforcement and safety.

The government states it will use trial data and evidence from other countries to determine appropriate e-scooter design requirements, which will inform minimum standards if privately owned e-scooters are legalised for use on UK roads.