E-scooters return to Nottingham with new safety measures and parking rules
From 2020-2024, six deaths have been recorded due to e-scooters in the East Midlands.
E-scooters have been brought back to Nottingham’s streets despite safety concerns and questions over parking.
The roll out of around 1,300 Dott e-scooters began last night (26 March), 15 months since they disappeared following the liquidation of the previous provider, Superpedestrian.
E-scooters have around 300 mandatory parking zones across the city, and ‘no-go’ zones where they are not allowed to be ridden, such as the Park Estate and Old Market Square.
Riders are required to provide ID when signing up to the Dott app.
The E-scooter scheme run by Superpedestrian led to safety concerns for some riders and pedestrians, and problems with some scooters being left abandoned by users.
The new company behind the scheme attempted to reassure Nottingham residents at an event to unveil the new project.
Launch Manager for Dott, Tim Caswell, said : “Anybody who downloads the app will notice it will be slow zones we have.
“The slow zones will reduce speed down to eight miles an hour. There’s an awful lot of safety features being built into these that you don’t find in other vehicles.”
Nottingham City Council Leader Neghat Khan said: “We are thrilled that e-scooters are back in Nottingham, providing a convenient, sustainable, and affordable transport option.
“By offering an alternative to car journeys, e-scooters play a key role in easing congestion and lowering harmful emissions in our city.”
E-scooters first arrived in Nottingham during November 2020, due to the Government’s Department for Transport trial across 30 councils, which involves hiring vehicles.
Only scooters hired through the company during the trial can be used. Private electric scooters are still illegal in public places in Nottingham, and driving any scooter on a pavement is also illegal. The trial lasts until 2026.
In January a charity for the blind and visually impaired said the reintroduction of the scooters will “only bring danger and anti-social behaviour”.
National Federation of the Blind also previously described Nottingham’s e-scooter pilot scheme as “simply not safe”.
Sarah Gayton, Street Access Campaign Coordinator for the charity, said in January: “It is clear from other trials we have visited that the dangerous riding or parking of rented e-scooters is still a serious problem which has not been resolved.”
The Labour-run council says “key lessons” have been learnt from previous e-scooter trials, while money from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund has also been used to install 275 racks for parking.
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