Newcastle e-scooter trial powers on V2

We get people’s views on the extension of Newcastle’s e-scooter trial.

Transcript

00:00I agree that it probably does reduce emissions, but I would imagine it's a very limited way.

00:07It's just around the city.

00:09It helps with congestion and with, you know, I think climate's a big issue for young people particularly,

00:15and so anything that we can do to try and reduce that I think is a good thing in general.

00:19Yeah, I think anything that reduces car travel is positive.

00:23I think with any kind of transport, whether it's people delivering pizzas on bicycles,

00:28you'll get some silly behaviour, you get that in cars,

00:31so I think on balance it's good to have a mixed approach.

00:35Well, I think they're a good idea if they're used properly, you know,

00:39but a lot of them are used on paths, as you say, and they go quite fast, you know,

00:44so there could be quite a lot of accidents, but if they're used properly, it's a good idea.

00:49Council leaders have agreed to extend the scooter's stay on Tyneside until at least May 2026,

00:54but have requested changes to the current scheme after concerns over unsafe parking and riding other devices.

00:59I think it's probably on balance not worth having them,

01:03because I think there'll be a certain amount of misuse,

01:07and I probably think that, you know, the pros and cons, probably the cons outweigh the pros really.

01:13Abroad, there's a lot of e-scooters about, especially in capital cities.

01:17I mean, if it works over there, it works over here.

01:20I think anything, like, we can do to help the climate and anything we can do to help the community,

01:27so I think it does help young people get around.

01:31But I kind of see, like, people 60 onwards getting on them,

01:37because I think there'll be more accidents than what they're worth.

01:43You're going to disagree?

01:46I think it's quite nice to see people whizzing past the Tyne on an e-scooter.

01:51I think it lends a bit of atmosphere.

01:53You know, it's part of a future direction we're going with, so I think we just start small and carry on.