Why the UK is dithering over what to do about e-scooters

When I step out of Southampton Central railway station, it takes me just seconds to spot an e-scooter. In this city, these devices have become a normal part of the transport ecosystem, along with e-bikes.

"It's just the most convenient way to commute from home to the station and back," says Keith Reed, who I speak to as he arrives at the station to catch a train to London. Keith says uses rental e-scooters twice a week. His alternative option would be his bike, but he'd then have to worry about where to leave it.

Around the city, there are parking areas for bright orange rental devices everywhere - but they're not necessarily a permanent feature. Southampton hosts one of the numerous government-backed trials around England. This one has been going on since 2021.

A study suggests around half of users of e-scooter do so in conjunction with another mode of transport - like Keith, who rides to the railway station

It also doesn't take long to find e-scooters which aren't part of the trial, but instead are owned by individuals. I see a man riding one along the pavement outside a parade of shops. He doesn't want to stop and talk.

These privately owned e-scooters are illegal to ride on public roads across the UK, but they've proliferated regardless. One expert told me the situation was a "Wild West".

Among people I spoke to in Southampton, the same concerns came up time and time again: "They're a blinking nuisance," says elderly pedestrian Fred. Another shopper, Martin, says he's "very concerned" whenever he sees them racing through precincts: "An accident's almost inevitable."

The endgame of the trials is to reach a decision on whether to make permanent hired e-scooter schemes such as the one Keith uses - and whether to bring in legislation that would legalise and regulate privately owned e-scooters too.

But six years since the trials started around England, there's still no conclusion - and as the UK government has responsibility for road traffic legislation across Great Britain, officials in Scotland and Wales say they are waiting on Westminster to act.

So why is it taking so long for the government to decide what to do, and what are the consequences of delay? What does the evidence tell us about how safe these things are?

And why are people using them in the first place - are they here to stay as a useful part of the transport offer, or will they end up being viewed as a pest on our streets?

You'd recognise an e-scooter if you saw one. The Department for Transport's (DfT's) definition of an e-scooter includes no pedals, two wheels and a maximum co