Silent’ escooters forced to make artificial noise to warn UK pedestrians
Safety concerns
As the popularity of e-scooters has exploded in recent years, significant concerns have been raised about the safety of the devices, both for riders and pedestrians.
A recentstudyby theInsurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)found that most e-scooter injuries occur on pavements and happen to inexperienced users, with a survey of 103 injured e-scooter riders at a Washington D.C hospital revealing 40 percent of those injured had been taking their first ride on an e-scooter.
In July the UK government launched e-scooter trials in select locations around the country, but issues quickly arose in some cities, with Coventrysuspendingits trial days after its introduction after users were seen mounting pavements and riding scooters in pedestrianized areas.
A week into an e-scooter trial in Teesside, two riders were stopped by police after they were caught using the devices on a busy dual carriageway.
Some e-scooter providers rely on geofencing technology to combat their use in restricted areas, though the time-lag in disabling devices when they leave a permitted area – which can be up to 30 seconds – means this isn’t always effective.
In October, American firmSuperpedestrianclaimed to have designed an inbuilt sensor-based geofenced system on itsLINKe-scooters which ensures riders cannot use them within a second of leaving an authorized zone.
The company, founded by urban transport experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has received approval to operate in the UK from the Department for Transport (DfT) and is currently in talks with local authorities in London regarding upcoming e-scooter trials.
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Story byCities Today
Cities Today is the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders.Cities Today is the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders.
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