Northern Ireland risks falling behind the rest of the UK in sustainable transport unless it moves forward with shared e-scooter trials, CoMoUK has warned.
Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) made the call in its response to the Department for Infrastructure’s consultation on the forthcoming Transport Strategy, highlighting that urgent action is needed to reduce car dependency and cut emissions.
Shared e-scooter trials have been running in England since 2020, with more than 60 million trips taken by March this year. Scotland and Wales are both working towards launching their own pilot schemes, leaving Northern Ireland with significant “catching up to do.”
Currently, privately-owned e-scooters cannot legally be ridden on UK public roads, meaning people can only access them through shared schemes. CoMoUK argues these schemes, alongside shared bikes and e-bikes, play a vital role in complementing public transport and active travel while providing low-cost, low-emission alternatives to private car use.
The charity is urging the Department for Infrastructure to support shared micromobility provision, including expanding Belfast’s bike share scheme and making it easier for communities to establish their own schemes. It also calls for clear regulation allowing micromobility schemes to operate safely in partnership with local authorities.
Northern Ireland currently has limited car sharing schemes and only one bike share scheme operating in Belfast. However, CoMoUK believes there is great potential for the country not just to catch up but to become’a leader’ in sustainable transport.
The consultation response also highlights the importance of mobility hubs – strategic locations that bring together various transport options including hire e-bikes, e-scooters and car clubs with public transport. These hubs could ‘reclaim space for sustainable and equitable modes, thereby reducing the dominance of the private car and its associated problems of congestion, carbon emissions, air quality and social exclusion.’
The Department for Infrastructure’s strategy aims to deliver a “cleaner, smarter, and more inclusive” transport network by 2035.
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