E-SCOOTERS will be made legal on the Isle of Wight’s public roads under a new Transport Bill unveiled in the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday (May 10).

Currently, their public use is only permitted as part of trial schemes, like the Island’s Beryl scheme, with private scooters banned from the roads.

The Transport Bill will make e-scooters safer, and a new vehicle category will be created to help regulate them.

E-scooters sold for private use have previously been unregulated, and many of the private e-scooters sold to date in the UK are being used illegally on public highways.

Phil Ellis, Beryl CEO and co-founder, said: “We welcome any legislation that seeks to remove barriers to sustainable transport and encourage the take-up of greener transport options, reducing road congestion while improving air quality and public health.

“The success of our schemes has shown that, by instilling high standards of safety and operational control, you can introduce safe and sustainable schemes that can form an essential part of an integrated multimodal urban transport network.”

Research released last month shows how many accidents there had been on the Island's roads since November 2020.

However, since their introduction on the Island, there have been more than 1,000 reports of misuse.

There have also been several drink-drive convictions.

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