Queens speech, micro-mobility movement expected

[Mr Gus]

Queens speech anticipated to be around may 10, 2022 via the thin lips of Grant shapps

Whilst there has been an extension to the e-scooter scheme, with little data being put out for public consumption & analysis, it is anticipated that some change is afoot closely following pedelec limitations of 15.5mph max speed, likely a standard of 10 inch air filled tyres / suspension up front, as well as number plates, indicators, better lights, & insurance, more reflectors.

Possibles : mandatory helmets, reflective tabards.

Having seen the throng of food delivery pedalecs in Cambridge there has been a clear explosion of e-transport (yay, less petrol pizza mopeds) which might be part of the change of view, also, a reported 750,000 e-scooters in the UK mean it's not going away without a fight.


Noting the pure escooter website, stock is low on their in-house kit, we had a pure air pro delivered this week (maersk in kettering) in anticipation, it remains unboxed in the hallway till the queens speech, ..my daughter especially would find it very handy as another non car opportunity, especially for school commuting from the countryside by bus.

[richbee]

[quote="Mr Gus" post_id=11940 time=1651834485 user_id=82

pedelec limitations of 15.5mph max speed, likely a standard of 10 inch air filled tyres / suspension up front, as well as number plates, indicators, better lights, & insurance, more reflectors.
[/quote]
Presumably to make sure that almost no-one bothers with them, but they can be seen to be doing 'something'

[Mr Gus]

Well, my pedelec is a good bit of kit, 13mph up my big hill, combined speed assist & me pedalling, & 20-22mph on flat runs. ..not to be sniffed at.

In 2020 we were in Berlin, running out of time daughter & I sped across the city (her 1st escooter experience) to find stock of ovomaltine spread to see us through what we considered as enough for 18+ months ..did it within 1.5 hrs scooting round unfamiliar streets with a list of suppliers. (Or 6 hrs on foot)

The escooter has a lot of potential, bikes don't often get to go on buses anymore, so trips involving public transport & then onward street travel are made easier potentially.

10 inch tyres soak up a bit of pain from street surfaces, ..but cobbles, well no, they remain akin to putting a hamster in a Kenwood chef mixer bowl with a medium speed paddle setting, imho you don't want to go smaller.

Insurance is likely, but may easily be tagged onto home insurance as per many bike owners, ..so with a bit of rational application, not a headscratcher.
It's easy to stick a small number plate on a scooter, as it is to mount a d lock to the rear, indicators can be blue tooth connection, or as per "cycl" brand (others *were* available) as bad end push signal lights.

& I'd always recommend better lights, because cars slow & think when they are, saving a lot of effwittery "pushing through" on the wrong side of the road, ..also the reason we fitted "monkeylight" persistence of vision led lighthouse to bike wheels, ..the whole experience of alternate travel got easier & safer.

This is the country that was anti Stephenson 's rocket (25mph still sucks the air out of your lungs right)

That you tuber? She went over a metal inspection cover / manhole, under inflated tyres couldn't grip, ...into a lorry. (Tyres to 36psi in handbooks) ..no info how flat, nor what scooter it was.

Regulation should mean approval for train / tube / bus use rather than shonky batteries & lack of IP67 (rainproofing)

If a shop selling you a tv checks your tv license status, (or whatever) ..then a shop selling an e scooter could register folk for license compliance at point of sale..

[richbee]

I thought you meant that those items were the requirements the government was proposing, rather than your suggestions for sensible use.
Most of them are very sensible, but so far none of those things have made it as compulsory for cycling, and I would imagine that most scooter users would not be interested in lots of regulation, with it seeming seen as a young persons' thing, probably less likely to want regulation.
Who is going to police those who go out unregulated?
I do think there should be a way to legally use them, just not sure how to regulate - unless you limit use to cycle routes - they seem mostly unsuitable for (especially main) roads sharing with traffic, and there is already the problems of cycles and pedestrians mixing on pavements & shared use paths.

[Mr Gus]

The big seller of waterproofed UK scooter "pure" recommends minimum 9.5 inch tyres, but plate, front & rear lights, reflectors, or which they already sell em with.
The govt will go for number plates, the 15.5mph limit, likely indicators too, no problem there.

As a snowboarder, balance with a deck, (regular scooter) is essential, it's the one thing I would not risk sticking an arm out to indicate with, nor a leg, rotational balance is key, so in reach indicators, & other bar lights are a no brainer to me.

I'd consider mtb gloves, but hate helmets, which think we are doomed to wear, which will then be shoehorned in for cyclists for me they are too hot & too much pressure on the brain, I don't intend to be stopped by every copper to explain that one away.

Other than using the app for a scooter (map, energy, speed) ..it should be fixed in place of suffer a fine.
No earbuds, ..you need spatial awareness on a board I only wear one, I need to hear my edges running & react to ice /snow changes.

In the meantime, fingers crossed for a sensible change, if we can encourage kids to use more alternatives to ICE even for a few more years, then that's a good move that escooters a may still pick up the slack for job consideration at a bit more distance from home ..I live in hope, itching to unbox ours.

General politeness helps on mixed use paths, I used to encounter 30 ft wide intentional path blocking by "guilty one, guilty all" ramblers on paths they thought they owned, tbh, we were a polite, controlled group who used speech to advise those in our single file group to be aware, just like overtaking folk on the slopes, ..newspapers are a hotbed for negative reportage (well it pays wages so the daily mail must be right)

& Its new, so prone until normalised, the fines points & confiscation threats have held many in check to date.
In the meantime I've got to bastardise a front pouch to be clip on for easy "take everything with you" stops & I like a bike light to make a car falter on the throttle, so battery pouch, 1 or 2 watts just doesn't cut it in the dark. ..guess I'd better get a sewing machine out & consult a 3d printer holder for my d-lock, potentially a good mount for rear indicators too.

[Mr Gus]

https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/queens-speech-2022/

[Mr Gus]

https://www.micromobilitynews.co.uk/new ... romobility

Interesting piece, simple to digest (even for govt spies to copy & paste into law)

[Mr Gus]

Well, wasn't HRH about as interesting as paint drying is to.watch!?

Nothing solid, short speech that merely concludes change is afoot for legislation (if govt pulls fingers out) ..good enough for myself & daughter to open the box & assemble (4 Allen bolts) & charge the scooter, took it out tonight for a short careful run, (apparently we should keep it, ..the kiddo said) she was buzzing, just need a few more lights (front & rear) bar end indicators & to know how big a reg plate holder we would need for legitimacy.

I think covid mobility potential is playing a part in legalisation, the govt wants normality, public transport avoidance likely go's a long way towards keeping the wheels grinding as it were.

Yes a bike is healthier but a bike doesn't fit in a smart cars boot, my e-bike hardly fits in a Skoda yeti& my e-bike isn't allowed on a bus.

Would anyone care to guess the registration application fees involved that govt is likely to squeeze?

Btw..

3 pin plug charger fuse is 3amp.
Top of my head, charger in operation 1.72 amps @ 42 volts, ..Charger was running hot ...still, low, no pain draw.

[Mr Gus]

What I can say from the key phrase many reporters missed out on recently was this (& I paraphrase) from Grant Shapps..

Legislation of e-scooters will apply only to those built as ruggedly as current hire e-scooters, likely with the addition of indicators (to be retrofitted later) the rest will not qualify (license plates are already on hire fleet) & will be banned


Not a direct quote, but an important insight as to govt finally understanding that unlike when they screwed up e bike law, this time a 500 watt motor (compared to pedelec 250 watts maximum) will qualify.

Front & rear lights are a given (again statutory on fleet rides)

Thus, I think my previous interpretation within a fog of information was correct, heavier "fleet type" design & waterproofing to IP65 to protect electronics, reduce risk of lack fired (there have been a few reported, however some papers reported it as a plethora, as per usual, with no identifiers as to brand & spec available except maybe to the fire brigade reports themselves)

Whilst it is not clear cut, nor ink dried stage, if your family circle are contemplating an escooter then the "pure" shops, selling mainly their in house brand conforms to the likely ideals that the govt will decree for rider legality.

Our unit is heavier (being steel) than others with the standard 15.5mph top speed (pick up is more than agreeable) 500 watt motor, seven rear brake, regular front, both apply when lever squeezed)
36 V 12.8 Ah 460.9 Wh battery pack (would have to open pack to find out more)

Model (UK design, UK company) Pure Air Pro 2nd gen
Rider load max out @120 kg /19 stone.
Scooter weight 16.5kg

The downside? Shops are few & far between unless you are near their city locations, their app is not great, (scooter can be locked electronically)
Staff knowledge is not & miss (mainly miss) ..information as to spec has to be wrung out of them over 12 months, after "flat no's" as to watt hours , amps, etc ..central staff ignorance which is exasperating, somewhat rude & stupid.

NB: Pure shops are abroad (France etc, & cheaper, so if popping over to France sans EV, an order to go will likely save you a few euros (actually £512 at time of writing ..so not always applicable) a few months ago pre Ukraine going crazy, it was a no brainer if passing.

Not a great experience but that's technically incapable female office staff not the product itself.
They do a "not quite tesla" referral scheme of which I will dig out my discount code in case it is of use, BUT anyone using a blue light card gets a 5% discount with a code they have to obtain via a shop, or prior to purchase online.. (Our air pro was £474 ish using that, sale price £499, when not in one in a sale £599.
Courier next working day via tnt.

Our daughter, it turns out has a nasty, bloody painful, inherited from her mother rare genetic problem that was only discovered after a snowboarding accident (wife) when daughter was small, it has manifested itself since diagnosis at 14 ..so an e-scooter would be a useful tool for her in terms of "silent disabled" assistance that looks normal (except for her hiking stick)

With govt sporadically understanding 500watt (avg) doesn't mean twice as fast as a 250 watt motor, maybe a tickling of peddled laws also in the offing!?

Progress made, corner turned, not there yet, "BUT"

[AE-NMidlands]

While I am not interested in these things (yet?) this is topical:
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury ... nt-266993/