The e-scooter revolution - the suffragettes got there first

Not Harringay, but I couldn't resist sharing this. (Although I'm assured that these vehicles were in regular use for grocery deliveries from Green Lanes, ahem!) 

We thought e-scooters were new. Not a a bit of it. In 1917, a New York Company realeased the Autoped Scooter, ninety years before the first Peugot e-scooter was seen.

Lady Florence Norman, a suffragette, on her motor-scooter in 1916, travelling to work at offices in London where she was a supervisor. The scooter was a birthday present from her husband, the journalist and Liberal politician Sir Henry Norman. (Image: Paul Thompson/public domain)

Whilst the Autoped was petrol-driven rather than electric-powered, it was clearly before its time. This vehicle and ones like it seem to have quickly fallen out of fashion, but ckearly its time has come again.

A recently auctioned model complete with its distinctive red rubber tyres. (Image: Oldbike)

The US Postal Service tried them out for posties. I wonder if e-scooter postal deliveries will soon run alongside the current delivery-by-drone trials. 

Adopted by the U.S. Post Office and other services, it was also apparently used by New York gang members for easy getaways – they could travel down narrow alleys to escape police in cars behind them. Image: Underwood Archies/public domain)