The Centre for London has called on the government to legalise privately owned e-scooters. The think tank says that two-thirds of car trips in London could be made by micro-mobility vehicles in 20 minutes or less.

Various e-scooter rental trials are underway up and down the country – including three in the capital – but the use of privately-owned e-scooters remains illegal.

Any further alteration of e-scooters’ legal status is now unlikely before March of next year, the government having resolved to await the outcome of those London trials before making any decision.

The Centre for London’s Micromobility in London report argues that share schemes overwhelmingly focus on inner city areas and so legalising private ownership would allow more people to use e-scooters instead of driving.

The report also highlights the potential impact of e-scooters on the use of other modes of transport.

“Millions of Londoners who currently have limited choice about how to travel could be supported to travel around their area if they had access to micro-mobility, and this could help them to access public transport for part of their journey,” it says.

Another recommendation is that the government expand on the Cycle to Work scheme by offering tax incentives and loans to anyone wanting to buy an e-bike or e-scooter.

Acknowledging a common complaint, the report concedes that e-scooters bring potential safety concerns for pedestrians. “These risks appear smaller for micro-mobility than for many other forms of transport but are worth considering,” it says, recommending that pedestrian interests be put first when making relevant policies.

Josh Cottell, research manager at the Centre for London told politics.co.uk: “E-scooter and e-bike use are on the rise. More than four million trips were made on shared e-scooters in the first 11 months of UK trials while the number of e-bikes sold in the UK increased by 70 per cent between 2019 and 2020.

“The shift to these emerging vehicles is already happening but we need the government to catch up and introduce policies which encourage safe ridership of e-scooters and e-bikes on our streets and ensure anyone who wants to use these vehicles can do so.”