England To Begin E-Scooter Trials In Four Future Mobility Zones Post Lockdown

E-Scooters are quite popular in Europe and over the past couple of years, have formed an integral part of mobility in several of its regions. The UK, however, still has a ban on their use on public land. New reports indicate that the country is poised to change that soon.

The UK has designated four ¡®Future Mobility Zones¡¯, areas within the country that will see a trial of green mobility options. These zones include West Midlands, West of England Combined Authority, Portsmouth and Southampton, and Derby and Nottingham.

E-scooters will be the first of such mobility options to be tested, with their trials set to begin by next month as part of the scheme. The commencement of trials has been brought forward to next month from next year, citing a world taking to the streets fresh after the Coronavirus lockdown.

(Representative Image: Reuters)

With the trials, authorities in the UK will look at ways of making an e-scooter ride sharing system a viable option for commuters. The system will observe how well the e-scooters are able to connect several public transport interchanges and local centres. All this, in a manner deemed safe enough for public roads.

Another purpose to be solved is a reduced burden on the public transport in the country. For this, the UK will take cues from the use of e-scooters in major European cities like Barcelona and Vienna.

The trials coincide with the announcement of a new ?250 million (~Rs 2300 crore) ¡®active travel fund¡¯ by the UK government. The fund will be used towards new pop-up bike lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements, safer junctions, and cycle and bus-only corridors.

To initiate the trials, the four Future Mobility Zones will identify routes, use the funding to transform them to e-scooter friendly spaces and then conduct the trials for a ride sharing system.

(Representative Image: Reuters)

Until now, the UK allowed the use of e-scooters only on private property.

The new-found push towards their use reciprocates a need for green mobility practices the world over in the post COVID-19 era. With social distancing being the new norm, people will prefer personal modes of transportation over public transport. While cars are still considered a vehicle of luxury, a readily available e-scooter as part of a ride sharing system should come in quite handy.

Several cities have adopted a renewed approach for the post lockdown travel practices. Milan is the biggest example among these, having designated special bicycle lanes, pedestrian lanes and initiated an electric shared mobility. You can read all about these reforms here.