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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Walking along the pavement near Dunn’s in Crouch End yesterday, I had my first personal experience of person vs e-scooter.

I got a glancing blow from a young man zipping along the pavement. No harm done other than ruffled feathers. But it does underline the potential dangers posed by these vehicles. What if I’d been frail and elderly or a toddler?

The rider did have the grace to stop. It gave me the chance to firmly but calmly point out the error of his ways. Never mind that his scooter was illegal in any public place right now, the last place he should be riding it was on a busy Saturday morning pavement. But he had an explanation: he told me, “You know, people are being hit on the roads now; it's not safe!”  What more to be said.

Tags for Forum Posts: escooters

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As far as I know, it's illegal to ride them on roads and pavements. Only allowed on private grounds.

I almost got knocked over on the pavement the other day. Are the police doing anything about this?

Allowed on roads if hired from a company in the trials being held in five London boroughs (not Haringey). See link in my previous comment or links via tag in original post above. 

Thanks for clarifying it doesn't include Haringey - you wouldn't have thought so given the number of these things around. Surely there needs to be much more information disseminated about these scooters and the retailers/renters regulated more as they're clearly not checking if the buyer is in one of the areas allowed. I see TfL is having to put up large notices instructing people not to take them onto the Underground.

Are the police doing anything about this?

No, but they could do something very, very easy to help which would be to patrol Green Lanes just occasionally.

Literally the only time I see police on Green Lanes is when they stop to fill up at Gokyuzu. I’m being serious by the way.

If we had some arrests of people riding these things the message would probably be clearer.

I've had a number of escooter near misses on busy pavements in Crouch End and Harringay...young males driving up fast and silently behind me and whizzing past just as I'm turning..skimming me. I hate them.

Here's some stats:

Electric scooters will be involved in up to 200,000 accidents this year as ownership soars across the UK, say researchers. More than a million people across the country are expected to own one of the powered two-wheeled transporters by the end of the year.

INews, 22 Jul 2021

Some newspaper articles.

Guardian article, 2nd May 2020:

Arnaud Kielbasa, a co-founder of French campaign group Apacauvi, which has been campaigning for tighter restrictions in Paris, believes Britain should learn from mistakes made across the Channel. He said that “in Paris, dockless e-scooters are really a cancer” because of the problems they cause on the pavement – “elderly people who are knocked over, women with pushchairs who can’t [get] through. It is really a big, big problem. Since they arrived in France, more than 15 people have died in the streets, victims of e-scooters.”

Pedestrians ‘will face danger if e‑scooters get road approval’

iNews article, 25th May 2021:

Transport bosses have suggested that e-scooters could be 100 times more dangerous than bicycles, while campaigners insist they are terrorising people on pavements

The Government is being called upon to take urgent action over the “menace” of e-scooters as they are due to be rolled out across UK towns and cities.

The scooters – some of which can reach speeds of almost 30mph – have seen a spike in sales and there are currently about 50 Government-backed trials running in towns and cities across the UK, where rented e-scooters can be driven on roads and cycle lanes.

Outside of these areas, it is legal to buy and sell an e-scooter but riding them on public roads, pavements or cycle lanes is against the law and can carry a £300 fine and six penalty points.

Government urged to take action over the ‘menace’ of e-scooters and...

Nuff said.

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