In an event that seems to be far too commonplace for my liking - we’ve reported on similar incidents in the past - an e-scooter rider was seen riding along the hard shoulder of the M42 motorway near Solihull, Birmingham.
The madman was spotted by Josh Giff whilst he was travelling between junctions 5 & 6, when his pal Ian snapped a photo.
Josh was quoted by Metro saying ‘I was in shock, couldn’t believe it.’ and that ‘We also didn’t see any cars broken down, so it looks as if he was on his daily commute.’
It’s certainly an eco-friendly means of travel, but riding privately owned e-scooters remains illegal on the roads, and in particular on extremely busy roads & motorways, where the act becomes downright dangerous. Dangerous for both the e-scooter rider & anyone sharing the road with them.
There have been calls for e-scooter riders to be held more accountable for their actions on the road, and for the use of the scooters to be further debated in parliament. This comes as trials for rentable scoots continue in cities across the country.
It’s unclear what happened to the rider in question here, it appears he continued on to his destination and got away with it on this occasion.
Attention e-scooter riders: stop riding on the motorway!!! And roads (for now)!
Speaking on the incident, and the wider issue of these scooters on the roads, Highways England traffic officer Dave Harford was quoted saying:
‘The M42 is a really busy motorway and this type of activity is not only illegal but it’s also reckless.
‘We’d remind those using e-scooters to use them properly and familiarise themselves with the law around where they can be used before setting off.’
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