E-scooters face ban after 80-year-old seriously injured by rider

E-scooters are to be banned on the streets of Canterbury after an 80-year-old woman was hit by a rider and suffered significant injuries.

The decision follows a pilot scheme launched in Nov 2020, where residents of the Kent city could hire motorised scooters.

Its trial period was due to conclude in Nov 2022 but now Kent has now become the third local council in the country to outlaw the vehicles over safety concerns, after Staffordshire and Rochdale concluded their own trials in October 2021 and March 2022, respectively.

The scheme will be terminated by Dec 1, with no scooters thereafter allowed on the city's road, after a proposal from the Department for Transport to extend the trial until 2024 was rejected by Kent County Council.

Private e-scooters remain illegal to use on public roads nationwide.

Other pilot e-scooter rental schemes run around the country will end in May 2024 and data from these will determine whether the Government decides to approve the use of e-scooters on public highways in the UK.

Cllr David Brazier, Kent County Council’s cabinet member for transport, called Bird, the company running the trial on behalf of the council, “competent and professional” but said you “cannot legislate” for people breaking the rules when they hire the vehicles.

“As we were nearing the end of the trial, I decided to truncate it before someone was seriously hurt,” said Cllr Brazier.

“Recently an elderly lady was quite seriously injured by one being ridden on a pedestrian area which was not allowed.”

In July, 80-year-old Sarah Carter suffered a broken wrist, cracked jaw and broken cheekbone after she was struck by a rented e-scooter being ridden on a pavement in Canterbury.

The retired university librarian said: “Another elderly person could have quite easily been even more seriously injured or even killed.”

It is believed to be the only instance of a collision throughout the duration of the scheme, which saw more than 67,000 total rides taken - a collision rate of 0.0014 per cent.

Cllr Brazier said he was initially in support of the initiative, which allows people to ride on specific routes at 12mph, but said it was now “quite obvious” that there is a risk of serious injury.

The scooters have occasionally been incorrectly used by riders, Cllr Brazier said, with people taking them into prohibited areas.

“You cannot legislate against people who will agree to use something in a certain way and then suit themselves,” he said.

Firm 'disappointed' with decision

According to the Department for Transport, in 2021 there were 1,280 collisions involving e-scooters across the UK. These incidents caused 1,359 casualties and nine deaths.

A spokesman for Kent County Council said: “In recent months, Bird, working to deliver this trial for Kent County Council, has introduced enhanced safety measures, including a reduction of the electric scooter speeds from 15mph to 12mph.

“Additionally, they increased Birdwatchers to patrol the city for pavement riding and changed their rider policy to introduce an immediate ban for any misdemeanour.

“Kent County Council has decided to gradually reduce the number of vehicles in the trial, as well as the areas in which they operate, ahead of the trial finishing in Kent at the end of November.”

A spokesman for Bird says the firm is “clearly very disappointed with this decision”.

“At Bird we pride ourselves on always being at the forefront of enhanced safety and innovation, whether that be through our industry-leading vehicles and technology, safety events and parking patrols organised in close collaboration with the city, the police and our partners.

“We will continue to provide our eco-friendly and convenient vehicles for Canterbury residents until the end of November.”