I'm blind – I trip over e-scooters all the time

Anela Wood says parking bays for e-scooters should be off the pavement

A blind woman has said instances of e-scooters causing or nearly causing her injury are "an almost daily occurrence" and leave her feeling "embarrassed".

Anela Wood, from Fishponds, Bristol, said there should be off-pavement parking because she often tripped over the scooters.

She also recommended an artificial motor sound be installed on all e-scooters in transit. "I get shouted at," Ms Wood told the BBC. "People say 'get out of the way', 'watch where you're going' or 'you shouldn't be out on your own'."

The West of England Combined Authority, which is responsible for regulating electric scooters in Bristol, said it was working to make them safer as part of its Scoot Safe campaign.

Ms Wood is a volunteer at the West of England Sight Loss Council, which is calling on local authorities and e-scooter and e-bike providers to sign a charter aimed at making them safer.

She said the Scoot Safe campaign, which would see riders fined for poor parking, did not go far enough.

"We also need designated parking zones that aren't actually on the pavement, so I'm not actually going to bump into them – but someone [also] needs to police the parking of them," she said.

"There's all sorts going on on a pavement nowadays and there needs to be space for people to navigate around without having to step into the road."

Ms Wood said accidents with e-scooters and e-bikes have become an "almost daily occurrence" for her.

"I've tripped on them, I've even fallen on them and grazed my knees or injured my hand," she said.

Ms Wood says poor parking of e-scooters should be better monitored

Ms Wood also said the system for reporting incidents needed to improve, as visually impaired users may not know its exact location or any specific details about the scooter.

Though all Dott vehicles in the West of England trial already have a bell fitted, Ms Wood has urged riders to use them more.

A spokesperson for Dott, which provides e-scooters and e-bikes in the west of England, said: "We understand the concerns raised by the Sight Loss Council, and we welcome any initiative that encourages safer streets for everyone.

"While there have been many experiments around adding [artificial motor] sound to e-scooters, the technology is not yet fully reliable and raises concerns, notably for neurodivergent people and noise pollution.

"For now, the most effective approach remains promoting and enforcing good practices: educating our riders, promoting responsible use, and ensuring strict compliance with regulations."

Helen Godwin, Mayor for the West of England, said: "Enhanced enforcement from Dott will mean people are kicked off the app when more than one person rides on an e-scooter, alongside new fines for poor parking, and easier ways for people to report issues.

"All of this will strike a better balance, with more marked parking zones for e-bikes and e-scooters making our pavements tidier for everyone, including disabled people."