Latest news with #Superpedestrian
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
I tried out an e-scooter in Nottingham and left with one big worry
After a period of uncertainty - the e-scooters are back in Nottingham with some key changes. With a string of 'no-go' and 'low speed' areas I decided to give one of the new blue Dott scooters a spin. I'd previously ridden around the city on one of the old Superpedestrian scooters and was keen to understand the difference with the swanky new devices. While I did enjoy the childlike joy of going about 15mph on one of these scooters, I found that the relative ease of picking one up off the street with little checks - apart from submitting a photo of my driving licence - caused some concern as anyone who has a provisional licence can go for a ride. They are easy to handle, pretty nifty in their speed and their brakes are often quite sharp, while I enjoyed whizzing about on them I could see people with less experience struggling to manoeuvre them as the speed could tilt them off balance. Read more: Nottingham's love-hate relationship with e-scooters as they return to city I've been a driver for a number of years, and I know the Highway Code and such - so the relative ease of grabbing a vehicle off a street corner and being able to travel at high speeds is a cause for concern. I enjoyed my ride on them, but I can't see how they are practical for people getting from A to B. The limitations and pricing of these scooters don't really offer any benefits. The only way I can see them being beneficial is if I wanted to avoid walking up Derby Road to get to Canning Circus from the city centre. Even then, you are travelling along very busy roads and risk entering a no-go area - The Park being nearby - where the scooters become obsolete. When I tried to approach a 'slow' area, a notification would pop up on my phone notifying me of the slower speed at which point it would dwindle from 15mph to around 9mph, adding more precious minutes to the £0.20p I was paying per minute. However, if you are brave enough to risk a fine and go to a 'no go area' then you will likely receive a notification of the financial impact, and your scooter will then effectively turn into a chocolate teapot. While I'm sure some people will be glad to see the return of the scooters, I find that Nottingham already has a thriving public transport system and these just pose a risk to those services, and I'm not talking about monetary threats. I spoke with a bus driver and he found the thought of anyone with a provisional licence being allowed to drive these outrageous, saying that they are just another hazard to look out for. In Nottingham, the return of the e-scooters may not be the answer to solving the city's congested roads that the city council was hoping for.
BBC News
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
New trial to allow legal e-scooter use within Nottingham
A new government-approved trial means people will be able to hire e-scooters and ride them legally in the city boundaries of trial, run by French-based company Dott, will begin on Wednesday and comprises 1,300 e-scooters, which people can ride on roads and cycle routes.A previous trial in the city ran from October 2020 until December 2023, when provider Superpedestrian shut down its UK is illegal to ride privately-owned e-scooters on roads and pavements, and Dott has warned riders could be fined or banned for improper use of the ones that are part of the scheme. While anyone can buy their own e-scooter, they can only be used on private land as the law currently stands. A Dott spokesperson said its contract with Nottingham City Council would be initially until August 2028, contingent on the Department for Transport extending the trial beyond spring Caswell, city development lead at Dott, said: "You do need to verify your ID and be over 18 to use the e-scooters."Once you're signed up to the app, then you can hire any scooter 24 hours a day from any of our parking zones, ride it and leave it at any other parking zone." Councillor Sam Lux is responsible for carbon reduction, leisure and culture at the city says she is hopeful the new trial will build on the scheme that ran before."In our previous trial we actually saw 3,000 rides a day on average and 20,000 distinct users a month, so we're expecting at least that level of popularity if not even more," Lux relation to concerns about the dangerous riding of e-scooters, Lux said: "We have to make sure we can solve some of the problems our residents are worried about to do with safety and enforcement and parking, but I think we're on the way to doing that." Mr Caswell added a fine could be given to those who abandoned the scooters and that Dott could ban users if of the e-scooters will have unique numbers that will allow people to report irresponsible use, such as riding them on the system that tracks the e-scooters will stop the battery power if they are ridden outside the city cost to hire them is 29p a minute, but other discounts and bundle prices will be available.
