London's Commuting Criminals - Electric Scooters in London (2020)

For over 150 years we've relied on the tube to get us around London. With the Coronavirus pandemic still raging on, passenger numbers are down by 95%. Grant Shapps has promised to fast track electric scooter trials, but right now, it's illegal to ride an electric scooter around central London, I think that needs to change.

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[DBIPS]

I ride my e Scooter to work (20mins) it takes my car off the road and reduce emissions. I have not been stopped by the police yet but I do a lot of my journey on cycle paths away from roads. I always give way to other cyclists and pedestrians (who have the right of way) I always wear a helmet . By the way I am 62 and absolutely love my e Scooter. The sooner the law is changed the better.

[RobUKTH]

Good video Gabriel. Keep up the great work! 👍😎🙏

[georgehickman]

Staffordshire here, bought my E scooter in Jan when the Bus service was taken over & my bus cancelled. A walk which would take an hr & a half is now a 35min Scoot. Taxi £18 daily, Bus £4.80 daily, Scooter FREE daily. I do have a license but can't afford, on minimum wage to run a house & car. This has proven to be a 'winner, winner, chicken dinner' scenario for me. As for the Police? They'll never take me alive!🤭

[StojanovskiTV]

Hollywood promised us flying cars by 2020.

2020—we can't even ride e-scooters.

[iaincritchley]

Excellent video and thank you for bringing this to a wider audience. It's not just in 'London' of course that the issue exists but the legal situation equally applies to the whole of the UK and to all its towns and cities. Permitting a shared e-scooter scheme seems, on the face of it, to be a positive step forward but to continue to ban privately-owned scooters is a huge mistake. The shared scooters will be ridden by idiots who have no riding experience and who won't have helmets etc. There will be accidents. There will be complaints caused by abandoned scooters. The scooters will be stolen or vandalised. Within 12 months the Scheme will have failed and e-scooters will be made illegal again for use on UK roads and pavements - so back to square one. Private scooters owners have invested a considerable sum of money and will have helmet, gloves etc and may even have had some training in safe riding and handling. If they are legalised, then they could be insured for third-party liabiity and I think that should be mandatory anyway (including for cyclists).

What the government fails to appreciate is that the main advantage of an e-scooter is it's suitability for 'last mile' transport, so you can take it on a train, in the boot of your car, then ride to your destination where it can be folded and stored safely at your place of work etc. Apart from a helmet and a waterproof jacket (we are talking about the UK!), no special gear is required and you can even wear a suit if you want to. E-scooters are also a great option for disabled and partially disabled persons and are a much more dignified personal transport solution that the traditional 'mobility scooter'.

Let's hope that common sense prevails and that private e-scooters are legalised very soon!

[adams]

Good video 🤜🤛.
Lets use it sensibly and like a j..k. I’ve got mine for 3 weeks and lovin’ it. Always ride safe and beware of you surroundings folks!

[deadwing]

As an NHS worker, I commute from Ruislip to Denmark Hill on my Zero 10X since the lockdown begun. Just please let us be free! As long as people behave and use common sense, I don't know why it is such a big deal.

[fairysox]

Usain Bolt ran at 27.8 MPH with no helmet wearing Nike trainers, they need to ban these trainers and not allow them on public footpaths or roads and make it compulsory to wear a helmet while wearing them ! We could try a rental scheme to establish whether or not they are safe, but research suggests that thousands of people have been killed already while wearing these trainers on pedestrian crossings alone, so in all likelihood I can't imagine we will be allowed to wear trainers for much longer !!!

[ukprepper]

The fact these are illegal is beyond stupid

[electricwheels]

It's too late to start trials as the UK is flooded with E-Scooters and they just need to let them be free like E-Bikes etc. I see more E-Scooters every day whilst riding mine and this makes it impossible for the police to control each person when they are needed for other urgent matters. Let us be free to commute and travel. I will always use mine regardless and I have not been stopped yet. I have even had Police officers talk to me saying they think it's a great mode of transport and something they would enjoy on their days off too. Looking forward to the 30th June 2020 when it all gets the go ahead and then tons of scooter peeps will be out buzzing around regardless of the trials lol

[karolyyss]

Honestly i think, we need to plan a meet in London, but we need loads of people to come. If there will be couple thousands of us, they can't fine all. But we need to show that we do care. I use my scoot as a part of commute, for around last 3 months. Not the top specs one, but enought.

[masterquadbiker]

This video hit so many good points in a funny way, well done sir

[Diety]

Sign the Petition to get E. Scooters legalised Guys !!!

[lightoftruth]

Hey Gabriel.

It get worse. The skateboard, roller skates and roller skies you mentioned are also all illegal under that 1835 act. It describes any "carriage" on the pavement as illegal.

It could even viewed that pushchairs are illegal.

[cervelo]

Two years later and they still are not legal.
It's a curious coincidence I came here 27th June 2022, exactly 2 years after the original upload.

[AlextheAlien]

Hello my fellow e-scooter ppl, I ride my kugoo m4 pro from home to work and back Monday to Friday, doing 24 miles every day on it and it's faster than any other way of public transport also very fun. I respect the highway code and also give way to any byciclist. On the bike lane, I just think TFL knows how big of an impact this new electric thing will be to their pockets if more ppl buy electric vehicles, obviously they want us to pay for transport and also track us and see where we go.. Be free be electric, buy a scooter and within a month or two it will pay for itself.. Drive safe yall

[Pryside]

Great video, I feel your trouble so much. Its the same in germany, eScooters have been techincally legalized a year ago, but you have to buy (have to throw your old scooter in the bin) a special scooter type with 20Kmh limit that you need to register and pay an insurance for. So most people avoid the work and either ride a illegal one or just stick to a normal bike.
This is just the beginning of a mobility revolution and to be more efficient, lighter and faster on your commute you sadly have to break the rules.

[Diremagic]

I just wish there was more bike lanes where i live in north carolina. I don't feel super comfortable trying to ride with cars around on these lightweight things

[starur]

. I've been riding a e scooter for a couple of years now in Manchester and never have been pulled by the police. I can't wait to see more people on them. Ex cycle courier in London and the dangers are exactly the same. Wear a helmet and be safe.

[Belfreyite]

Hi, E Bike rider here. All good stuff, but the heat on E scooters will inevitably put cycling legislation in the spotlight.
If the insurance anomoly between legal hire scooters and illegal private ones is resolved, we could well see a blanket requirement for TPinsurance for ALL bikes and scooters.
E scooters are nowhere near as safe as bikes on urban roads and a huge upsurge will unevitably mean calls for better infrastructure and the costs will be thrown at our feet.
I really pity hapless mortals with no two wheeled nouse, thinking E scooters will be a cake walk.