[madeofpalk]

They're illegal in the same way that if you sticking four wheels on a fridge and driving it down the street is also illegal. They're not road worthy, and you can't use them on footpaths in the same way you can't cycle on footpaths.

[zethraeus]

FWIW I was just in london and saw a bunch of people riding their own Mi scooters in the street. (That's the same scooter Bird uses.)

[cjrp]

I'm seeing more and more on my commute, but it's the difference between a few people buying their own from Alibaba and a company installing them across the city. The former's unlikely to draw attention from the police, the latter much more so.

[madeofpalk]

Sure, and people smoke week or break the speed limit despite the legality.

[drb91]

Err, why is it illegal? They're more than fast enough to keep up with bike traffic in the city, especially if there are dedicated lanes.

[vertex-four]

Basically, the laws say that your vehicle must be licensed to be used on a road unless it’s a bicycle/pedal assist bike/a few other categories, and there’s no mechanism for licensing some of the newer transport options. The laws also say that a vehicle can’t be used on the pavement at all, so there’s no way they can be used on a public road at all.

And have you ever seen a picture of most British cities - there’s barely enough room for cars and pedestrians sometimes, never mind a whole separate lane for cyclists/etc.