Nearly 70 e-scooters stopped in Bedford with over 30 seized in police crackdown
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Police and the council have joined forces to educate people about the illegal use of e-scooters.
It's part of a vulnerable road user campaign this month with officers from the Bedford Community Policing team working alongside Bedford Borough Council to drive home the message that privately-owned e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads.
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Hide AdBetween July and August, police stopped 66 e-scooters - with 33 of those seized.
A man was also arrested and charged with having no insurance and obstructing the police.
Officers have also been working with primary and secondary schools in Bedford to educate children, as well as commuters around Bedford train station.
Privately owned e-scooters are currently illegal to use on public roads and if you’re found to be using one you could receive up to six points on your licence, a £300 fine and your scooter could be seized.
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Hide AdIt is only legal to use a private e-scooter on private land with the permission of the land owner.
E-scooters fall within the legal definition of a ‘motor vehicle’, meaning the same laws that apply to motor vehicles apply to them.
These include:
Riding with insurance
Driving dangerously or under the influence (which can lead to the possibility of imprisonment)
Payment of vehicle tax, licensing, and registration
Driver testing and licensing
Number plates and signalling capabilities
As private e-scooters don’t have these and are not able to be insured, they are not allowed on the road, pavements or cycle lanes.
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Hide AdIn July, Bedford Today revealed crime connected to e-scooters had increased in the county by 300 per cent
Inspector Ed Finn from the Bedford Community Policing team, who is leading the operation, said: “Any use of a privately-owned e-scooter on a road, pavement, park or other public place is unlawful and riders who continue to use them illegally will leave themselves liable to prosecution for offences under the Road Traffic Act."
Cllr Colleen Atkins, portfolio holder for regulatory services at Bedford Borough Council, said: “These e-scooters are not legal on public land or the highway, and they can be a real danger to pedestrians with people riding them on pavements and in local parks."