Going to get worse. This in the Times today
"The number of electric scooters operating on urban streets is set to soar by as much money as two-thirds in the coming months because of huge demand.
Talks are taking place between the country’s biggest e-scooter rental company and the government over the deployment of thousands of additional machines by the summer.
It is understood that the number could grow by as much as 75 per cent in some areas.
The move is made as London prepares to launch a trial of e-scooters almost a year after they were introduced in other towns and cities in England. They are expected to be deployed in 11 out of 33 London boroughs in May.
The Department for Transport fast-tracked new regulations last summer to permit the legal use of e-scooters on British roads for the first time.
Scooters must be hired from licensed operators, and privately owned devices will still be illegal, to ensure that they meet national safety requirements. They are limited to 15.5mph and are only permitted on roads and cycle lanes, with riders banned from pavements. People hiring them must be aged at least 16 and hold a provisional or full driving licence.
The first trials were launched in Middlesbrough in July and have since been extended to almost 40 towns and cities including Bristol, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Salford, Nottingham, Newcastle, Liverpool, Norwich and Cambridge.
E-scooter operators have to sign a licensing agreement with the DfT setting out standards including the number of machines being deployed in each area and the geographical limits of the rental scheme.
Trials are due to run until later this year. The government is then expected to fully legalise e-scooters, allowing those in private hands to be operated, or opt to make existing rental schemes permanent."
