People regularly hit by e-scooter riders on Hull paths - councillor

Hull residents are too afraid to use footpaths because of reckless e-scooter users, a councillor says

People in Hull are regularly being hit by e-scooters illegally ridden on footpaths, a city councillor has said.

Councillor Peter North urged Humberside Police to use its powers to stop the vehicles being used on public paths.

But the force said rather than fining or confiscating, it preferred to use a "more educational approach" for riders.

E-scooters are currently only allowed on private land or when they are part of a trial hire scheme and riders must not exceed 15.5mph (25km/h).

Mr North, Labour councillor for the Bricknell ward, told the BBC that incidents involving electric scooters and bikes were "a regular occurrence, certainly since I became a councillor in 2021".

"Two people in the last six weeks have approached us about near-misses with e-scooters," he said.

"These vehicles are being used on footpaths designed for pedestrians - so the elderly, or those with visual impairments, are at risk."

Mr North added that residents were too scared to use footpaths in Hull due to these "fast-moving vehicles".

He said while police had the authority to seize both e-scooters and e-bikes and to also issue fix penalty notices, he believed there was a "lack of willingness" by officers to tackle the problem.

Councillor Peter North has called for Humberside Police to do more to tackle the problem

Responding, Supt Jenny Bristow, from Humberside Police, said: "Where people knowingly commit an offence and intentionally put others at risk, we will always take action."

However, she added that riders of e-scooters and similar vehicles might not realise they were committing an offence.

Supt Bristow urged people considering buying an e-scooter for Christmas to "please consider the legalities of their use before doing so".

It is estimated there are 750,000 privately owned, unregulated e-scooters currently in use in the UK, according to transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK.

At present, the only place in Yorkshire with an e-scooter trial hire scheme in operation is York.

Mr North also called on Hull City Council to take a "more active approach" to educating the public on the dangers of riding e-scooters and bikes on footpaths.

A meeting to discuss the issue is expected to be held later this week.