Ian Done, 81, says E-scooters are way forward for Worcester

Ian Done, from Worcester, regularly uses E-scooters when visiting cities across the UK which have the schemes in operation.

Mr Done said thinks that E-scooters are critically important for making the city greener. 

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He said: "Some people may say perhaps an 81-year-old shouldn't have an opinion on this but I use them regularly and I think it is important.

"They are cheaper than a bus as you only pay for the time you are on them, and they are also incredibly easy to use.

"I feel they get such a bad reputation when really they are the way forward, but they need the proper legislation and control.

"I think it is critically important, inner city areas have to be made cleaner and to do this, we need to encourage active travel."

Mr Done first began using E-Scooters to get around Portsmouth along the seafront and to visit. 

He said: "In Portsmouth, there are lots of lanes for bikes and scooters, which made it easy for me to get to the historical dockyard and other areas.

"The picture of me on the E-scooter for this article was taken in Gloucester, where they are also regularly used.

"I am aware that people are getting hurt on these things, but I think it's down to the trails being extended everywhere instead of the proper infrastructure being put in place.

"It must be taking so much police time dealing with these scooters. People perceive them to be a toy and think they are just used by kids."

Cllr Marjory Bisset, co-leader of Worcester City Council. (Image: Worcester City Council)

Cllr Majory Bissett, co-leader of Worcester City Council, said proper infrastructure is needed before considering E-scooters.

She said: "In principle, I am in favour of anything that encourages greener travel in Worcester.

"However, at the moment we have cyclists in Worcester that are risking their lives as there is no proper infrastructure for them.

"I think before we can look at adding E-scooters into the mix, we need to first properly look at the entire infrastructure first."

READ MORE: Cllr Denham downplays Worcester's chances of e-scooter trial

Last month, it was confirmed that Worcester would be benefitting from a public bike hire scheme by Spring 2024, but the chances of an E-scooter trial were downplayed.