An e-scooter hire scheme could be trialled on the streets of Brighton and Hove as soon as next spring.
If approved by councillors next week, the current operators of the city’s e-bike hire scheme, Beryl, could add 300 scooters from April.
Trials in other areas of the country, such as Cambridge, Norwich, Bournemouth and parts of London, have been running since July 2020.
The government now wants new trial schemes to explore ideas such as go-slow areas or the provision of helmets.
The proposals are to be voted on by Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet next Thursday.
The report says borrowing for the current bikeshare scheme costs the council £295,000 a year until 2030, and any profits from an e-scooters trial could pay down the debt.
If approved, the council would apply to the Department for Transport (DfT) to take part in a trial. In advance of any trial starting, they’d also hold a six-week public consultation.
The scooters would be available from around 30 existing Bikeshare hubs, located mainly along the seafront and in key transport corridors.
They could only be hired by people aged 17 and over with at least a provisional driving licence. If people rode them on pavements, they would risk having their accounts suspended. They will be allowed on roads and in cycle lanes.
It will continue to be illegal to ride privately owned scooters on any public land.
Speeds would be limited to 12.5 mph – or 6.5mph between midnight and 5am on weekdays -and the scooters would include front and rear lights, registration plates and horns.
GPS technology would prevent them from being used outside of the hire zone, including areas like the promenade and Undercliff.
A curfew will mean e-scooters cannot be hired between the hours of midnight and 5am on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
And while it’s not a legal requirement to use one, users would also be incentivised to wear helmets.
Councillor Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport, said: “If approved, this would allow us to assess the viability of e-scooters in Brighton & Hove within a properly controlled scheme that eliminates the need for illegal e-scooter riding, which I know is a concern for many.
“Other trials suggest that some scooter journeys replace car use, thereby reducing air pollution and congestion.
“We’ll be listening to residents’ views and taking on their feedback before, during and after any trial. I’d urge everyone to take part.
“E-scooters will add to a growing and integrated transport network in our city. Our Bus Service Improvement Plan is already making bus travel easier and more affordable and we’re spending around £8 million to improve our roads and pavements.
“New infrastructure on the A23, through Valley Gardens and along the seafront has made cycling easier and safer. It all adds up to a greater number of sustainable transport options for our residents and visitors.”
For me, there’s still a question of accountability. If the scooterist causes an accident and injures someone or causes damage, how can they be identified on the spot? If we are depending on Beryl’s log reporting, that suggests some important agreements regarding data sharing with the police need to be in place.
The 6.5mph night-time limit seems excessively cautious; that’s barely above walking pace.
With each individual number plate any accident should be easily have an identified rider. The problem with the scheme is the restrictions. 6.5 mph at night at 12.5 mph during the day. The bikes do 15.5 and are fine, (most private e scooters do 15.5 as well). It’s a good idea but needs tweaking.
Does the same not apply e-bikes. Thinking about it, some cyclists can get up to significant speeds and also cause damage and injuries in a collision.
I agree the speed limits are too low.
Absolutely, I think the same way about cyclists, in that they should be identifiable as well. Seen a few modded e-bikes around Brighton doing approximately 40mph now you mention it. Seen some horrific injures from normal cyclist crashes too. The concept of degloving still makes my stomach turn a bit.
No thank you!
Why so slow when less people are around? Between midnight and 5am surely they should be allowed to go faster as there are less people to run into?
A standard bicycle will go faster than these things.
@Benjamin – As to the ID bit… it says number plates, and as they are paid for I assume this will be traced to a credit card. So there is your proof of ID (unless the card is nicked). Assume insurance will be in the hire price.
I realise I wasn’t being particularly clear. In the event of, say, a hit and run, or bypassing a red light, the registration ID doesn’t seem like something you can see from a distance. If it were reported with, for example, dash cam footage, would that be enough to identify the rider?
It’s modern day kit, I expect it will have GPS tracking. Nail the time and place and I expect they’ll know who was riding it. Then its just a case of matching up the damage on the scooter.
Absolutely, there’s still a few things I’d want to see squeezed out of an agreement though, like a MoU with Police for accessing that information held by Beryl, and how do you differentiate if there were multiple scooters in the same location at that time.
Certainly nothing insurmountable.
I think it’s a good idea but with the suggested speed restrictions they should be in cycle lanes only. After all, they are significantly underused nearly all the time.
As an aside; Muten talks about reducing pollution. Why do the council take a proportion of the fees for on street EV chargers? They are funded by central govt and private investment. (Installation and maintenance). The additional VAT element is minuscule. And yet the on street EV chargers are around 7 times the cost of home chargers, (ie 55p per KWH as opposed to 8p on the right tariff at home). Is the transport committee serious about wanting to promote EV use? You decide.
I see the caution in letting inebriated people try scooters for the first time at night.
Perhaps have a system where your first few night rides are speed limited?
If you need your driver’s ID checked beforehand, I imagine there won’t be too many people going through an account set-up or people at Beryl verifying late at night.
As long as they stay on roads and off pavements, all well and good
Looking forward to being stuck behind a scooter doing 6.5mph, haha!
These will be useful for immigrants and homeless you can’t afford cars. A great idea again from labour
With all these pot holes one would think these may need more subsidy than suggested!
Oh dear! Even more things for pedestrians to have to contend with on the pavements – Beryl bike users are probably the worst for this anti-social activity so the scooters will just had to the hazards. Brighton Council please think about the elderly and handicapped who are finding the town’s pavements becoming more and more dangerous.
From the article:
“They will be allowed on roads and in cycle lanes.”
These schemes have been a disaster in most cities they have been implemented. Bizarre that they are saying they can go on the road which is illegal and are suggesting these things should go in cycle lanes with children. I’ve just been to a city where this scheme is running and they are now banning them as the riders do take them on the pavements against the rules and you have to dodge them which is very dangerous. They then dump them all over the City. Totally bizarre that the council is pushing for this. What is it with the transport group constantly fighting with residents. Can’t they be refocussed on cleaning up the city instead of all these new pointless transport schemes.
Have they looked at the number of accidents that happen with the scooter rental system in Auckland New Zealand, they are a nightmare
No need to look that far.
Crashes are exceptionally high with 12 riders and one pedestrian killed already over the last two years alone and incidents up to 1300+.
Things are dangerous and councils are already withdrawing from the scheme, Basildon being one.
Soon to be announced “The Beryl Benidorm Bugatti Brighton scheme!”
Private scooters continue to be illegal for use on public land? What a joke having seen a police car overtaken by an illegal scooter doing 25+ in a 20 zone and the police took no action. Standby for pedestrian crossings, pavements and traffic lights to become even more akin to a video game ax the existing betyl bikers are reinforced scooters.
One good kick should sort them out like I did with a cyclist once who went through a red light at a crossing and would have mowed my daughter down.
This should not be allowed until the A&E at the hospital is sorted out. They will need to add capacity to deal with the pilots and their victims.
All the while plod standing by and “observing”