“Give over parking spaces for them,” suggested one Bristol resident when he found over 100 e-scooters on a single stretch of pavement back in May. Bristol City Council is now considering exactly this.
While Voi’s e-scooters have designated parking zones, a combination of poor parking and lots of scooters being left in the same area can sometimes lead to pavements being blocked.
The Bristol Post reports that there could now be a pilot scheme in which about a dozen car parking bays are adapted for e-scooter parking.
“If it has an engine, it should be parked on the road,” pointed out Councillor Paula O’Rourke, leader of the Green group in Bristol.
“As the number of scooters has grown so rapidly, we have seen pavements being blocked by poorly-parked scooters, often forcing pedestrians into the road,” she said.
“I understand that the scooters are part of a trial, which means that there isn’t the full infrastructure there and this is why they are on pavements. However, we need to use the trial to see how they would work in car parking bays, which is where they must end up."
O’Rourke has been scoping out locations for the pilot, focusing on tourist areas where e-scooters tend to accumulate.
"We do believe that we need to offer some parking in the carriageway near the historic sites as the pavements are becoming very congested,” she said.
“Parking in Clifton has always been a problem, and we want to encourage alternative modes of transport.
“We have several schools, for example, that have permits for staff to park and it would be great if some of those car parking bays could be replaced with scooter parking."
> RNIB backs Voi's new e-scooter racks as operator moves to address parking concerns
Local operator Voi has confirmed that more parking measures will be trialled, including additional bays in the road.
"We’re delighted to be introducing more Voi e-scooter parking infrastructure in the region over the last few weeks as part of our ongoing commitment to promote responsible parking,” said senior public policy manager Nathan Ashley.
"The location of parking racks and on-street bays are carefully selected to avoid clutter and nuisance to other pedestrians.
"Voi continues to work closely with the council and West of England Combined Authority to ensure these and upcoming installations are placed in the best and safest locations for pedestrians and other road users."
