Birmingham to trial e-scooters in revolutionary UK scheme

[LeighPing]

Two cities picked to trial e-scooters in revolutionary scheme

The trial will looks at how e-scooters can safely be used in public after they were only allowed to be used on private property

www.birminghammail.co.uk

 

[Essgeebee]

A big fuss about nothing, in my view. While European cities are full of people happily zipping about on e-scooters our backward, stop-innovation bureaucracy decided years ago to do what it usually does, ban them when in fact they could do more to reduce emissions and now cross-infection while enabling people to travel where they want free of charge.
It took a pandemic to shift the blockers but no doubt they will do whatever they can to restrict their use, citing the odd inevitable accident as an excuse.
Ebikes have been popular in Northern European countries for decades while here we’re just waking up to their enormous potential.

 

[mike killay]

This 'trial' is utter nonsense and so beloved our British Civil Service. The rest of the world just accepts progress but not here.
Look at the idiocy in Northern Ireland over ebikes.
I remember when CB radio started. Everywhere else readily embraced the new device, not the UK.
The reason given was that they interfered with emergency service radios. (But only in the UK)
Great moral indignation at their use was voiced by various politicians, obviously hoping to bag some votes.
Eventually, so many British people were using them illegally that they had to legalise them, but saved face by stipulating only FM and not AM.
The real reason, never mentioned publicly, was that the radios supplied to the Emergency services by the Home Office Wireless Department were cheap alternatives to those used elsewhere and could not cope with cross interference.

 

[flash]

This 'trial' is utter nonsense and so beloved our British Civil Service. The rest of the world just accepts progress but not here.
Look at the idiocy in Northern Ireland over ebikes.
I remember when CB radio started. Everywhere else readily embraced the new device, not the UK.
The reason given was that they interfered with emergency service radios. (But only in the UK)
Great moral indignation at their use was voiced by various politicians, obviously hoping to bag some votes.
Eventually, so many British people were using them illegally that they had to legalise them, but saved face by stipulating only FM and not AM.
The real reason, never mentioned publicly, was that the radios supplied to the Emergency services by the Home Office Wireless Department were cheap alternatives to those used elsewhere and could not cope with cross interference.

Bunkem! Most emergency services at the time used Pye Westminster sets which had very good selectivity. Their frequency allocation was 66 to 88 MHz. CB allocation is 27 MHz. Very little chance of interference.
The big problem for the UK was that the 27 MHz band was already licensed legally to radio control model aircraft users. They were paying for a licence to use the band, and interference resulted in loss of control of the aircraft.

 

[flecc]

European cities are full of people happily zipping about on e-scooters
Ebikes have been popular in Northern European countries for decades

But, and there are very big buts.

Those European cities have European roads, cycling and pedestrian facilities, already a huge volume of bicycles in use and drivers who are well used to all the cycling and drive accordingly.

Our laws alone not allowing scooters on pavements will mean them always mixing with our motor traffic.

And worst of all is the uniquely British obsession with speed on two wheels. Not for us the leisurely cycling so often seen in mainland Europe, here cyclists so often race around much faster, even taking to the pavements at speed, so I can see similar happening with e-scooters at speed.

Thousands of e-scooters here on our roads and pavements with our lack of suitable facilities are likely to have many unhappy outcomes.
.

 

[Tarka]

Every Chav estate will soon be buzzing with stolen ones.

 

[mike killay]

Bunkem! Most emergency services at the time used Pye Westminster sets which had very good selectivity. Their frequency allocation was 66 to 88 MHz. CB allocation is 27 MHz. Very little chance of interference.
The big problem for the UK was that the 27 MHz band was already licensed legally to radio control model aircraft users. They were paying for a licence to use the band, and interference resulted in loss of control of the aircraft.

Well, why did the emergency services complain?
I was told about this by a Home Office wireless technician, and had no reason to disbelieve him.