E-scooters are to be banned from London’s most famous parks after 6 deaths
E-scooters are not allowed in London’s Royal Parks for safety reasons.
The Royal Parks charity, which is run by Prince Charles, has ruled that e-scooters will not be tested in any of their eight parks, including Hyde Park, Regent’s Park and Kensington Gardens, the Mirror reports.
London is just one of more than 50 cities and towns testing e-scooters.
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The trial began in London in June, but e-scooters are now banned from entering charity parks despite calls from environmental activists.
In response to a request for freedom of information, the charity upheld the ban by saying, “The Royal Parks is not considering e-scooter testing in any of its parks.”
On her website, she added, “The parks are mainly places of quiet relaxation where pedestrians have priority.
“We believe the speed and camouflage of the scooters pose an unacceptable risk to pedestrians, especially those with limited mobility or those with visual or hearing impairments.”
While popular in a number of cities like Berlin, Lisbon, and Bristol, there have been concerns about the number of incidents involving the scooters reaching a top speed of 12.5 mph.
Researchers predict e-scooters could be responsible for 200,000 accidents by the end of the year and have already been involved in six deaths in the UK.
As a result, the National Association of the Blind has called for an end to legal proceedings.
In July 2019, YouTuber and TV host Emily Hartridge became the first person to die while riding one of the scooters.
