The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has called on the government to ban e-scooters from shared roads, rather than legalising them, amid fears that they make users more vulnerable to lorries than bicycles.
The MPA urged the government not to press ahead with a legalisation of micro-mobility devices on shared roads.
It cited “serious safety concerns” that it claimed make e-scooters “much more vulnerable” than bicycles.
The Association said: “The MPA and its members have worked hard over the last decade to improve safe transportation of our products by HGVs. MPA is a champion of the Construction Logistics and Community Safety standard, supporting high standards amongst our membership who are actively engaged in ensuring we minimize risk to cyclists, pedestrians, and all other road users.”
It pointed out that MPA’s members who operate in London are already compliant with the Direct Vision Standard there and all transport operators in its membership accredited to a high standard such as ISO39001 or FORS.
Robert McIlveen, director of public affairs at MPA, said: “Compared to bicycles, e-scooters are less visible, less stable and less able to cope with potholes and other road hazards. MPA and our members have worked hard over the years promoting shared road safety and we believe that introducing new, more dangerous types of vehicle is neither safe nor sensible.”
