Lorna Stevenson, Researcher at the University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy, was quoted in an article by The Guardian about why e-scooters have become so popular and so disliked in the UK.
Talking about the soaring use of e-scooters in the UK despite it being illegal to use a private e-scooter anywhere except private land, Lorna Stevenson said: “The illegal e-scooters are demonstrating a clear unmet transport need. There are people using them who won’t know they’re illegal, but others who do, and still see it as worth the risk. The question is, what is the rest of the transport system not providing to these people?”
She added: “Pretty much everyone agrees that the current situation is bad. The fact that it is legal to walk into a shop and buy an e-scooter, but not to ride it on the road, is a mess for all concerned.”
Discussing negative public perceptions of e-scooters, Stevenson said: “Some people really don’t like e-scooters, in the same way that some people don’t like cyclists…They are perceived to be ‘other’, or doing something that is not normal. Why don’t they just get a car? But others have valid reasons for not liking them.”
She said: “There are people out there with strong negative feelings about e-scooters, and it’s important we don’t minimise those concerns, especially when those people may already be transport-disadvantaged due to age or disability.”
Read the full article on The Guardian’s website.
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