By Jamie Shapiro, Local Democracy Reporter
E-scooters could become a staple feature on the roads of Southampton as a temporary order allowing riders to use cycle lanes is set to be made permanent.
Southampton City Council has now decided (subject to a 'call in') to turn an 18-month temporary order allowing their use in cycle lanes into a permanent one.
This makes it far more likely that the e-scooter scheme itself will continue.
The Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) which legalises the use of VOI E Scooters in cycle lanes has been in use since March 3, 2021 and is due to expire on September 13.
By turning the ETRO into a permanent Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) it enables the opportunity of indefinitely extending the Voi e-scooter scheme in the city.
Both the current ETRO and the new TRO only relate to Voi e-scooters. Privately owned e-scooters will remain illegal on roads.
A police spokesperson said: “Privately owned e-scooters can only be used on private land, with permission from the landowner.”
• The council and Solent Transport are conducting a survey about the e-scooter trial, open until September 19 2022 from this link
31/8/22 This piece was edited to clarify that the use of cycle lanes for scooters is likely to become permanent, rather than the scooter scheme itself, although it's thought this makes the future of the scooter scheme more secure
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