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<p>There is already legislation in place that governs the use of e-scooters on public
land. E-scooters meet the definition of a ‘motor vehicle’ under the Road Traffic Act
1988. Therefore, as well as having to be registered, taxed, and insured, they must
meet all other legal requirements of a motor vehicle to be used on the road. By their
design, e-scooters complying with the wide range of requirements is difficult to achieve.
Consequentially, most private e-scooters are illegal to use on the road, cycle lanes
or pavements (i.e. otherwise than on private land), and rental e-scooters can only
be used in rental e-scooter trial area.</p><p>The Department considered the potential
advantages and disadvantages of a mandatory registration and licensing system for
cycle ownership as part of a comprehensive cycling and walking safety review in 2018.
This found that the cost and complexity of such a system would outweigh the benefits,
and that restricting people’s ability to cycle in this way would mean that many would
be likely to choose other modes of transport instead, with negative impacts for congestion,
pollution, and health. However all policies are kept under review.</p><p>If e-cycles
exceed the criteria in the Electrically Pedal Assisted Cycles Regulations (1983),
then, among other criteria limits power and speed, they are also classed as motor
vehicles, requiring tax, insurance, and similar requirements.</p>
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