Plymouth considers joining a national e-scooter trial. Safety concerns and environmental impact are key points.
This week, the council will discuss the plan and must ask the government for permission first. The trial is already happening in other UK cities. A Net Zero plan will be a key part of the discussion.
The plan has many eco-friendly ideas, including potentially charging higher parking fees for petrol and diesel cars only. The plan also includes the e-scooter trial scheme.
The council will consider applying for the trial as they want to join the Department of Transport scheme. The government wants more cities involved and is currently gathering information on e-scooters to decide if the scooters should be legal. Councils can join the trial until May 2026.
Some readers expressed worry, thinking scooters could endanger pedestrians. Some referenced issues with cyclists, while others cited dangerous e-bike riders.
Another reader used e-scooters in France and found them useful. They expect some misuse, like with cars, and suggest making users easily identifiable to camera systems. One reader hopes for compensation, expecting someone would eventually need it.
One person wants better bus services and lower-cost transit solutions for residents and seniors. Another said the council is incompetent and claimed other cities abandoned similar schemes, foreseeing only law-breakers benefiting from the trial.
One asks why Plymouth is always behind the times and fears danger on pavements, even though 20mph zones are intended to create safety in the area. One person acknowledges the scooters can be useful but stresses the need for rules and training, though the transport department seems unconcerned.
A reader defends the e-scooters, saying misuse creates danger, and thinks the scooters belong on roads since most have a speed limit of 12.5mph. Someone notes e-scooters draw power from the grid, questioning their environmental benefit, and points out that batteries use lithium sourced by children and disposal is also unsafe.
Another believes systems must track scooter use and riders must be held responsible for accidents. They see drunk people renting scooters and claim teens race them.