The City of Westminster has joined Transport for London’s e-scooter trial meaning the vehicles are now available for use in London’s touristy West End.
Westminster joins seven other boroughs plus the City of London and Canary Wharf areas in the trial, with TfL and London Councils continuing discussions with others about further expansions over the coming months.
They remind riders that the hired e-scooters are the only legal way to ride one on public roads, with the use of privately owned e-scooters on public roads remaining illegal. Metropolitan Police continue their work engaging with e-scooter riders, and where necessary, will enforce the legislation regarding the use of privately owned e-scooters. Over the weekend a Police Officer suffered concussion and a broken leg trying to apprehend someone on an e-scooter in Willesden.
TfL and London Councils say safety continues to be the top priority and they will closely monitor of trial. People can give feedback and report incidents to e-scooter operators directly, either by using the contact details displayed on e-scooters or through operators’ apps.
Figures show there were 35,000 trips made on e-scooters during the first four weeks of the trial, with the average rental lasting 24 minutes over an average distance of 2.9km. The number of e-scooters involved in the trial is expected to gradually increase to 2,700 over the coming weeks.
(Picture – Tier)
