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Did you know that e-scooters are banned in lots of areas of London? Because of this, TfL implemented geofencing technology which causes scooters to suddenly stop when entering a banned area. And if the idea of a zooming scooter suddenly coming to a stop sounds dangerous to you, you’d be right. Now TfL wants to relax some of these rules to prevent users from being injured by their e-scooters unexpectedly slowing down.
TfL said 15 percent of all e-scooter rides were affected by geofencing technology, which causes a reduction in power or the engine to switch off once in a controlled zone. But the transport authority said ‘go slow’ and ‘no go’ areas have now been reduced across the city.
Transport for London has been rolling out e-scooters across the city since 2021 as part of a nationwide trial. London currently has a fleet of 4,830 scooters, operated by Lime, Dott and Tier, which are limited to a maximum speed of 12.5mph. But the trial hasn’t concluded whether they should be rolled out further yet.
E-scooters are still banned in lots of places, including the Royal Parks, the South Bank and the area around St Paul’s Cathedral.
Helen Sharp, TfL’s e-scooter trial lead, said safety was at ‘the core of our e-scooter trial with London having high safety standards’.
‘Recently, working with participating boroughs and operators, we have reduced the number of go slow and no go areas across the trial area, to improve the experience for riders without impacting those not using the service,’ she said.
ICYMI: This London area is the next to crack down on Lime bikes.
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