Beryl e-scooters are to have their speed restricted to just 3mph on Bournemouth promenade. It was previously announced that scooters would be banned at peak times in July and August. However, they will now be permitted with geo-fencing technology ensuring that they automatically slow down.

The Bournemouth Echo reports that the ’Go Slow Zones’ will be visible within the Beryl app, shaded yellow and marked with a tortoise icon. They will be in operation between 10am and 6pm – the period when bikes are banned.

Beryl will also send push notifications to riders’ phones when they are about to enter the zone so they are aware of the impending speed change.

Similar measures will be in place for No Go Zones.

Beryl CEO Phillip Ellis commented: “It is safe and convenient to ride an e-scooter throughout most areas across Bournemouth and Poole, but in particular zones we want to safeguard the wider public’s safety and interests as residents and visitors begin to move around more freely.

“The technology involved in the Go Slow and No Go zones is incredibly safe and has been vigorously tested by our operations team. Riders can be assured that when they enter these zones their e-scooter will gradually slow down to 3mph, or stop completely, where we encourage riders to hop off the vehicle and follow in-app guidance.”

The government recently postponed a decision on potentially changing the legality of e-scooters pending the outcome of three trials that have recently started in London.

Commenting on the Beryl trial last month, a BCP Council spokesperson said that so far it had been a success.

"We have received very few complaints about incidents or misuse of the Beryl e-scooters in the BCP Council trial, despite the fact that they have proved to be very popular,” they said.