How does the Welsh Government plan to address concerns regarding the excessive speed of electric scooters in public spaces, and what measures are being considered to ensure responsible and safe usage?
It is currently illegal to use an e-scooter on a UK public road, cycle lane or pavement, except where it is used as part of a UK Government’s Department for Transport (DfT) sponsored trial scheme. No trials are currently operating or planned in Wales. However, we are liaising with DfT officials in respect of proposals to permit and regulate the use of e-scooters and are awaiting the initial feedback from the trials.
The majority of powers to regulate the use of e-scooters are vested in the Secretary of State (SoS), rather than the Welsh Ministers, and the regulation of the construction and use of e-scooters in Wales is currently a reserved matter. I have previously written to the SoS to raise the issues of safety as one of the Welsh Government’s main concerns in considering the potential introduction of e-scooters in Wales.