Councillors to discuss summer start for e-scooter trial

An e-scooter hire scheme could be launched Brighton & Hove as early as this summer.

Cabinet members will next week discuss proposals for a regulated and controlled trial, involving up to 400 e-scooters.

They’d be available to hire from 37 hubs, mainly along the seafront and in key transport corridors, and run by the city’s current bikeshare operator, Beryl.

If approved, Brighton & Hove would join more than 50 towns and cities across the UK currently running trials. The use of private e-scooters would remain illegal.

Read the report being presented to Cabinet members.

Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure, said: “E-scooters would be a positive addition to Brighton & Hove; providing residents and visitors with a handy and affordable way to get around, reducing car use and improving the city’s air quality.

“Data shows that using an e-scooter has positive mental and physical health benefits and users are more likely to combine an e-scooter trip with getting the bus, train or another form of public or shared transport.

“We’ve looked at trials which have taken place across the country in recent years, learning what’s worked well and what we can do to ensure our scheme is a success.

“A properly regulated trial means we can offer safe and legal alternative for people wanting to try a new mode of transport.”

Picture: An example of Beryl e-scooters

Safety first

We were given permission to run an e-scooter trial by the Department for Transport and ran a public consultation on its features and location last November.

Having taken on board comments from the consultation, the trial would include several hiring restrictions, safety features and limits on where e-scooters could be ridden. These include:

• Only people aged 17 and over and holding a minimum of a provisional driving licence will be able to hire an e-scooter.
• E-scooters can only be ridden on the road, in cycle lanes or in shared spaces. They won’t be allowed on pavements and accounts may be suspended or cancelled for failing to comply.
• GPS technology will prevent them from being used outside of the hire zone, including areas like the promenade and Undercliff Walk.
• They will have a maximum speed of 12.5 mph (slower than the legal maximum of 15mph allowed for trials) and include front and rear lights, registration plates and horns.
• E-scooters will operate on a ‘go slow’ speed of 6.5 mph between midnight and 5am Monday to Friday.
• A curfew will mean e-scooters cannot be hired between the hours of midnight and 5am on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
• E-scooters will have registration plates and bells and be covered by 3rd party public liability insurance.
• Anyone reported to be riding dangerously or anti-socially risks having their account suspended.
• While it’s not a legal requirement to use one, users will also be incentivised to wear helmets.

Councillor Muten added: “We know from the public consultation that safety is a key concern for residents, and I can assure them it’s a priority for us too.

“The safety features of our scheme go above and beyond what most other trials are doing with important restrictions on who can hire an e-scooter, where and when they can ride them and at what speed. This matters. A highly regulated e-scooter scheme addresses many of the concerns raised during the public consultation and ensures our scheme has a culture of safety right from the start.

“We’ll be carefully monitoring the scheme data and asking for ongoing public feedback to ensure our e-scooter trial is successful and works for everyone in Brighton & Hove.”