E-scooters and e-bikes were seized in Nottingham city centre as the council looks at tightening controls.
Towards the end of last year, concerns were raised over anti-social behaviour outside the Council House, as well as the dangers of private e-bike and e-scooter use in Old Market Square, particularly when busy events are being hosted.
In response, Nottingham City Council has been looking at a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for the Old Market Square area specifically to ban private electric vehicles.
A PSPO gives powers to council enforcement officers to deter troublemakers in specific areas and allows fines to be issued to those who break the terms of the order.
At a meeting on Monday (13 January), the authority gave an update on its work to clamp down on the use of e-scooters and e-bikes in the city centre.
Cllr Corall Jenkins (Lab), Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, Waste and Equalities, said the council recognises the challenges of controlling them, but added there “is a real effort from all partners to work together on this”.
“During November and December, 31 e-bikes and e-scooters were seized,” she said.
“Discussions are in place, and we will be feeding back to the scrutiny committee on the potential banning of the use of e-bikes and e-scooters in the city centre, particularly during large events.
“We are seeking the input and judgement of our legal team when looking to tighten the PSPO, but I can state an effective partnership is crucial in this, and updates will be provided at the next scrutiny meeting.”
Cllr Andrew Rule (Ind) has been calling for stricter measures to tackle the problem.
During the meeting, he said: “Can I get a commitment from the Executive Member that further robust action will be in place by the time the beach starts in the summer?”
Cllr Jenkins added: “We are working with our legal team to see how we can tighten our PSPO, but I will say partnership working that we have in place with the police, the red jackets, and the SIAs, plus our neighbourhood safety team – our commitment is to make people in Nottingham feel safe, and we will do everything in our power to make sure that is done.”
Several no-go and low-speed zones are currently enforced across the city, including the Market Square, for e-scooters that can be rented under the Dott scheme.
Similarly, there is a no-go area in the Broad Marsh bus station and car park for e-bikes that can be rented from the LIME operator.
While it is illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter on public roads, pavements, or parks, their users can still easily access these city centre areas.
