Seventeen official complaints made over e-scooters in Northampton as councillor defends 'benefits to town'

Official complaints made to Northamptonshire County Council over e-scooter riders has topped 17 in one month, an FOI has revealed.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by this newspaper has highlighted the top areas for concern surround the public wanting better education for riders, scooters being abandoned on pavements and children misusing the scheme.

He said: "E-scooters could contribute if they can be used as a substitute for short journeys that would otherwise be made in a car.

"The main concern with the implementation in Northampton is that, as you'd know if you spoke with cyclists, many of our roads do not feel safe for anything other than car journeys, so why would it encourage people to use an e-scooter?

"Until this wider issue is addressed, we don't think e-scooters will provide the shift that the town desperately needs."

The 12-month electric scooter trial started only last month to encourage a new mode of transport that reduces the town’s carbon footprint and has so-far seen a barrage of complaints.

The 300 e-scooters, which are paid for by the minute via an app, have been dotted around the town at places such as the train station, bus station and the university campus, in bid to encourage bus, taxi or car users to jump on a scooter instead.

Riders have to have at least a provisional driving licence to ride one and they can travel within town on a route which stretches to as far as Moulton Park.

The vehicles must then be parked in public areas where the next users can locate the scooter using the Voi app.Although the scooters can be parked anywhere, publicly, there are designated places, detailed on the app, where the company prefers them to be parked.

Among the 17 complaints between September 3 and October 3 was one 'compliment' to the council's 'Complaints and Compliments team', which did not go into detail.

Councillor Jason Smithers, county council cabinet member for Highways and Place, said council chiefs are listening to feedback from the scheme

He said: “Since the launch of the Voi e-scooters, 57,000 rides have taken place in the local area, with nearly 70% of rides carried out by repeat customers – an indication that uptake has been very successful. Additionally, 26 jobs have been created through the trial, so the project has brought with it many benefits.

“That being said, we are listening to feedback from our residents and taking their thoughts into account when it comes to areas of improvement. Various measures, such as more slow speed zones, a curfew between 10pm and 4am, alerts on the Voi app (reminding users of the rules) and the addition of registration plates have already been introduced in response to concerns raised.

“We will continue to work closely with Voi, Northamptonshire Police and the Borough Council to identify where further improvements can be made and to also remove any individuals who are not adhering to the rules.”

From September 25, Northamptonshire Police were encouraged by Voi carry out regular spot checks on illegal scooter riders and report back to Voi to get them banned.

This means officers can now use Voi’s e-form to notify the company of scooter misuse and block users who are repeatedly riding on pavements, riding with two people on a scooter, unlocking a scooter for someone else and riding e-scooters while intoxicated.

Riding on pavements or while over the limit could result in a PCN or penalty points on their driving licence, as well as removal from the service.