Abandoned Cheltenham Voi e-scooters spark safety concerns
The scooters are available for rent in Cheltenham as part of an ongoing trial scheme.The initiative aims to encourage more active transport and reduce the number of cars on the road.
Under the hiring rules, users are required to return the scooters to designated bays when they have finished using them.Voi said it conducts street patrols alongside a 'report a scooter' feature in the app to identify abandoned or improperly parked scooters. But Mr Weaving said in one case, an e-scooter was left on Southgate Drive for more than two weeks without being moved or collected."These scooters are often left on pavements, causing obstructions for pedestrians, wheelchair users and those with pushchairs," he said."There appear to be no clearly-marked bays for parking after use, and the scheme seems to rely entirely on residents to report misplaced or abandoned scooters."
"Inconsiderate parking is never acceptable," a Voi spokesperson said."Whilst the vast majority of our e-scooter and e-bike riders in Cheltenham follow the rules, we take action against those who don't - including fines and potential bans."Thousands of people choose e-scooters and e-bikes every day to get to work and education, and we want our service to work for everyone."We're grateful the resident raised the issue and always appreciate community feedback regarding our scheme in Cheltenham."
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