THE roads where the new e-scooters are being ridden most in Colchester have been revealed by the firm behind the trial.

Spin, the micromobility unit of Ford Motor Company, has been running the trials as part of Essex County Council’s Safer Greener Healthier campaign.

In just five months since the first trial launched in Basildon, more than 100,000 journeys have been completed on the e-scooters.

A whopping 27,500 of these were in Colchester.

Despite the trial launching three months later than Basildon, in February compared with December, Colchester is rapidly catching up with its south Essex neighbour in terms of the number of journeys.

And the team at Spin has also revealed the roads in Colchester where the scooters are being used the most.

The busiest roads for e-scooter journeys in the town are - Colchester High Street, St Botolph's Street and Head Street.

Head Street Boxing Day

 

All three roads are in the town centre, suggesting this is where the e-scooters are being used most.

Trials are now running in Basildon, Chelmsford, Colchester and Clacton with a slightly different scheme, called Spin+ also running in Brentwood and Braintree.

To meet increasing demand there are currently more than 500 free-floating e-scooters in operation in Essex, which means they can be parked in most places.

Spin says in Essex more than 100,000 journeys have now taken place on the e-scooters.

Here are the number of journeys taken so far during the trial in each area:

  • Basildon - 46,600
  • Colchester - 27,500
  • Chelmsford - 21,000
  • Clacton - 6,900

After reaching the 100,000 rides milestone, Steve Pyer, UK Country Manager at Spin said, “The pace of e-scooter adoption in Essex represents an exciting shift to more sustainable transport in line with the council’s Safer Greener Healthier campaign.

"Now that lockdown restrictions are easing, we’re seeing more people use our e-scooters for short journeys to get them to key destinations across the region and reduce the number of short car journeys across Essex.

"Safety remains our top priority and we’re continuing to educate riders and the wider community about how to ride and park our free-floating e-scooters safely.

"We do this through a wide range of activities including digital campaigns, in-app notifications, in-person training events, free helmet giveaways.

"As well as partnerships with London Vision, the sight-loss charity, RoSPA, the road safety organisation and the Sensory Action Alliance, supporting those with sight or hearing loss.”

Read more:

What do I need to know about the e-scooters?

Spin e-scooter listed for sale on Facebook in Colchester

 

The service is only available to adults who have a valid full or provisional driving licence and who have registered on the Spin App, so riders are covered by insurance.

If someone else other than the account holder is riding the e-scooter it will be uninsured.

Both the rider and account holder will be liable for £300 fine and 6 points on their driving licence.

New riders must also view a comprehensive set of rules and instructions and complete a safety test before they can take their first ride.

To find out more about the e-scooter trail, visit www.spin.app.