E-scooters in Oxford a 'danger', says Peter Hitchens

In a letter to the Oxford Mail, Peter Hitchens said he is 'grieved' by the individual scooters 'dumped and abandoned' on footpaths and by the 'unsightly stacks' as a citizen of 'one of the loveliest cities in the world'.

"As a cyclist and a pedestrian, I have found the introduction of electric scooters a constant nuisance and occasional danger," the writer for The Mail on Sunday said.

"Only last week one of these things ploughed heedlessly into me as I was helping a cyclist pick up a lock which had fallen from her machine at Carfax."

Peter Hitchens (Image: Matthew Norman) "Frideswide Square is now an abomination of desolation, scruffy, bruised and dispiriting, partly because of the parking facilities granted to the e-scooter operators," he continued. 

"I doubt very much whether a single e-scooter journey has kept anyone out of a car, as their promoters claim."

However, according to one of the main operators in Oxford, Voi, since it started operating in the city in 2021, its e-scooters and e-bikes have been used more than 2.3 million times by almost 120,000 people.

The operator claims this has replaced almost 750,00 car journeys.

READ MORE: Stephen Fry appointed special role at Oxford University

Mr Hitchens believes the operators green credentials are 'feeble' due to the mining of the metals in their batteries and the charging of them.

"Of course they have opened up the market for electric motorbikes, a menace to safety well known in London, which Oxford-dwellers have only just begun to experience," he added. 

Voi E-scooters in the city centre (Image: Andrew Ffrench)In response to this, a Voi spokesperson said: “We’re pleased to offer sustainable, safe and accessible transport options in the city, and it is clear Voi's e-scooters and e-bikes have become an integral part of Oxford's transport network.

“Our e-scooters are built to last, with the current vehicles having an expected lifespan of four to five years.

"We use 100 per cent renewable energy in our operations, including charging batteries and our e-vans.

“The majority of our riders are responsible while using and parking our vehicles. We take action against the small minority of riders who break the rules, including issuing bans and fines.

"Anyone who spots inconsiderate parking can report it to us via report.voi.com or email support@voi.com so we can investigate and take action quickly.”

Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson says public hire e-bikes and e-scooters provide people with 'greener, more flexible alternatives' to the private car.

“The rental scheme in Oxford that is operated by Voi uses dedicated parking bays which are positioned to allow for easy navigation around them," said a spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire Poppy Appeal launch event cancelled for 2024

"The operator makes daily maintenance trips around the city to look after their public hire e-bikes and e-scooters including ensuring that if one is placed outside of a parking bay it is returned.” 

Lime, another operator in Oxford who launched its shared e-bike service in the city in September, said it has seen a 'huge demand' for the vehicles in the first months and that is it working with the council to build a 'successful scheme'.

"Oxford is a city that loves to cycle and shares our commitment to active and sustainable transport," said a spokesperson for Lime. 

Anna Railton, city councillor and cabinet member for Zero Carbon Oxford, said e-scooters add a 'pretty valuable extra sustainable transport mode' for people in the city. 

Anna Railton (Image: Contribution.) "I'd much rather someone on a legal e-scooter than a car," she added.

"I think options are important, I think they add something quite valuable."

She added that it's important to distinguish between legal e-scooters and e-bikes and illegal ones, and believes there needs to be a crackdown on the latter.