‘Pedestrians have been terrorised for too long’: Charity calls for public vote on Voi e-scooter trial in Northampton

A charity has called for a public vote on whether to end Northampton’s e-scooter scheme, saying that “it needs to stop” as the trial has “failed to keep riders and pedestrians safe”.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFBUK) claims that the scheme poses a danger to blind and visually impaired people, as the scooters are often left on pavements and other pedestrian areas of the town and become a tripping hazard.

At the end of last year, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) conducted a survey consultation, which more than 3,000 people responded. The scrutiny committee responded with the recommendation of stricter rules on their use, including a review of speed controls, and improvements to their visibility at night. The committee also agreed that the trial can continue until 2026 if these recommendations are implemented. A final decision will be made in May this year.

However, NFBUK do not believe the recommendations go far enough.

They said: “The trial has failed to keep riders and pedestrians safe and it is time to close it down. We are aware of 15 other trials in the UK that have been shut down, and Northampton needs to go the same way. The pedestrians of Northampton have been terrorised for too long and it needs to stop.

“If WNC will not shut them down then they need to give the people of Northampton a vote, like Paris, to see if they want the e-scooters to stay or go.”

A similar public vote in Paris last year led to a ban on e-scooters in the French capital, with nearly 90 percent of voters supporting the ban. More than 103,000 residents took part in the vote, according to Sky News.

Sarah Gayton, Street Access Campaign Coordinator at NFBUK, said: “No lessons have been learned. They’re still all over the pavement, and they’re still a tripping hazard.

Ms Gayton believes that the only answer is to scrap the scheme entirely, as promised safety measures have so far failed to materialise.

She added: “We were promised hundreds of parking racks way back in 2020, but where are they?"

Voi - the company behind the trial - said they are working on implementing more parking racks, and other additional safety measures.

A Voi spokesperson said: “The Northamptonshire e-scooter trial has been reviewed by WNC’s scrutiny committee, which included a public survey and feedback from local organisations whose employees rely on scooters to get to work.

“We have worked with the committee to establish a plan to address concerns raised by a small minority. This includes installing more parking racks, which we designed in conjunction with the RNIB.

“We are committed to further actions to improve parking in Northampton, as well as measures to deter pavement riding. We don’t want our scooters to inconvenience pedestrians or other road users. Our aim is to provide safe, affordable and sustainable transport.”

A WNC spokesman added: “WNC undertook a public engagement to consider views from various parties on the current operation of the micro mobility scheme in Northampton.

“The feedback of 3,000 responses from a wide variety of stakeholders was presented to the place scrutiny committee.

“Recommendations from scrutiny, based on this feedback, were then considered by the council’s cabinet.”

Voi encourages anyone who spots bad parking or antisocial riding, to report it online or email [email protected] including details of time, location and if possible the scooter’s four-digit registration number.