By Matt Jarram, Local Democracy Reporter
E-scooter parking stations are being set up across hotspot areas of the city to stop riders leaving them strewn across pavements.
More than 1,000 rentable scooters are now being used across Nottingham.
The scooters are popular with local people who want a cleaner and greener way to travel around the city.
But pedestrians have complained about pavements being blocked and near misses when scooters mount the kerb. And some people with mobility issues and visual impairments have complained that scooters are a hazard.
Superpedestrian, which runs the Nottingham scooter scheme, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it hopes to extend the trial scheme to May 2024.
It is now introducing parking stations across the city to ensure scooters are not left blocking pavements.
The first two racks – which accommodate five scooters – have been installed beside the main entrance of Nottingham Railway Station.
There are plans for 10 more racks during August including Derby Road in Lenton and King Street in the city centre.
The company will then gather evidence to see if the stations are working, and will consider having more distributed across the city.
Superpedestrian is working with Nottingham City Council, and the parking stations are paid for by the company and not city taxpayers.
Jean Andrews, policy director for Superpedestrian, told the LDRS: “We have been working with Nottingham City Council where there are areas of scooter traffic and parking spots that are busy.
“The aim is to deliver a tidy parking solution in these busy hotspot areas. I can’t say it will solve the issue entirely.
“We will gather evidence, but we think we will see a difference in hotspot areas where there has been untidy parking and are not an impediment for those using the pavement in the area.”
There are 1,000 rentable scooters in the city with an additional 150 that can used as a long-term rentals. Since the trial scheme was launched in October 2020, there have been 1.6million rides.
The e-scooter trial runs out in November this year, but the company is working with the city council to expand the scheme up to May 2024.
Currently, there are parking zones – drawn out on the pavement – for riders to leave their scooters.
These will continue alongside the new parking stations. Riders who leave scooters badly parked on three occasions receive a £10 fine.
The parking stations have been designed in collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People to prevent trip hazards.
The company teamed up with Swedish design company, Standab to design the parking stations.
Cllr Audra Wynter (Lab), portfolio holder for transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “Throughout this e-scooter trial we’ve been really keen to listen carefully to feedback from the public about how we can potentially improve things.
“We really welcome the introduction of these docking stations as they will help to bring more order to E-scooter parking and keep pavements clear for all pedestrians.”
