New technology given to scooters to stop them entering Northampton park

Electric scooters have been equipped with new technology to stop them from entering Abington Park, Northamptonshire County Council has said.

It comes as police are now investigating after a collision between an e-scooter and a 20-week old Jack Russell puppy, called Stanley, which happened between 6.15pm and 6.25pm on November 9 in Abington Park, on the walkway near the museum. The owner told the Chronicle & Echo that the puppy was physically uninjured but he was left shaken.

Councillor Jason Smithers, cabinet member for Highways and Place at Northamptonshire County Council, has said new technology has since been applied to the electric scooters, which will avoid incidents like this happening again.

He said: "Safety is paramount. It is therefore important that all users abide by the rules; e-scooter users must be 18 or over and hold a driving licence in order to use them. We have also made clear that the e-scooters should not be used in Abington Park – the same rule applies to cycling (except for children under the age of 8).

“In order to address the issue of e-scooter use in the park, geofencing technology has been applied, which makes it impossible to ride an e-scooter inside the park, or to end a ride within the park’s perimeters.

"As part of our trial, we work very closely with Voi to make daily operational adjustments to our service, based on user feedback, user data and the overall feedback we receive from the local community. Strengthened geofencing was implemented on Thursday, and was fully in effect by Friday."

The 'geofencing' technology creates a virtual perimeter for Abington Park, so the scooters cannot go any further.

Since the launch of Voi electric scooters in Northampton town centre, 10,300 users have registered and more than 87,000 rides have been recorded to date.