The Metropolitan Police have seized more than 2,500 private electric scooters since the beginning of this year, it has been disclosed as Camden Council is joins the capital’s trial of rental e-scooters.
E-scooters are available to rent in Camden from Monday (27 September) as part of a trial run by Transport for London (TfL) and London Councils, with Camden becoming the tenth borough to join the trial.
TfL said there have been 165,000 trips made on the rental e-scooters since the trial launched, and that the addition of Camden to the trial will take the number of vehicles to a maximum of 3,480.
It said it is also trialling a micro-mobility data platform which allows for two-way data sharing with the operators and helps with the monitoring of the trial.
However, it stressed that the use of privately owned e-scooters on public roads remains illegal, stating: ‘The Metropolitan Police continue to undertake enforcement activity to deal with illegal e-scooter use and have seized over 2,500 private vehicles since the beginning of this year.’
Helen Sharp, TfL's e-scooter trial lead, said: ‘London's e-scooter trial continues to provide data and insight into the long-term role e-scooters could play in a green and sustainable future for the capital, as well as the role they can play in avoiding a car-led recovery from the pandemic.’
Adam Harrison, cabinet member for a Sustainable Camden, said: ‘We want our residents and visitors to be able to make short journeys in different ways in the borough, with e-scooters providing one alternative option to public transport and taxis, as well as helping to reduce the number of short local journeys made by privately owned cars.
‘By taking part in this trial, we will be able to better gather feedback, from both the public and the council’s own monitoring, on the legal use of e-scooters in a busy urban environment such as Camden ahead of any extension of the trial or a decision to make e-scooters permanent.’
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