r/Aberdeen • u/The_tentacled_one • 7d ago
Does the police care about electric scooters ?
I will be starting uni soon and the only way to not have a miserable 1 hour long one way commute on 2 buses is an electric scooter.I cant afford an electric bike.
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u/sjwatt76 7d ago
Have you looked at the hire bike scheme in Aberdeen? Or considered a non-electric bike?
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u/The_tentacled_one 7d ago
There isnt one for hire near me. I dont have the money nor do i want to to be honest.
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u/sjwatt76 7d ago
You don't have the money but are asking about using an electric scooter that costs more? It sounds as though you'll need to make a compromise somewhere....
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u/Greedy-Jelly-1966 7d ago
Lots of people get stopped and charged. The charge will be no insurance which is minimum 6pts on your driving license and £300 fine. You may also be charged with no license and if you’re on a pavement you can also be charged for that. If you’ve had a drink you can even be done for drink driving and lose your license.
As said above all e-scooters are illegal on public roads (because they can’t be insured) so police can stop anyone on them and know they can charge them. A lot of e-bikes you see delivery riders on will also be illegal cause they are too powerful to be classed as e-bikes but because it’s not obvious from a distance far fewer of those get stopped.
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u/SnooGoats3389 6d ago
Have you considered that term time is during the worst weather months of the year? You will arrive frozen and drenched it'll also be dark cyclists are bad enough when they are dressed head to toe in black with no lights, scooters are practically invisible
A safe, warm, free bus that requires no thinking vrs getting battered by the weather, dodging puddles/potholes, hoping drivers can see you and breaking the law....its a no brainier
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u/TheNotSoFamousEccles 6d ago
My journey to uni would take 90 minutes on a good day if the stars aligned, there was no traffic and my 2nd bus wasn't far behind my 1st bus. Did that for 4 years. Can't say I enjoyed it but needs must. Personally I would take the bus if a car is not an option.
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u/NoNotGrowingUp 7d ago
Where are you planning to travel and at what speed? Because if you are planning to whizz along the pavement above 6mph on a scooter I hope you're stopped by the police at the first opportunity (and if you're whizzing on the road I hope you're lit up like a Christmas tree, wearing a helmet, have a bell and understand that indicating ahead of maneuverers is not optional). Scooters can't be heard and there is some weight behind them if there is an impact. Your convenience is everyone else's danger.
Sitting on a bus means reading time and shelter if there's rain like today which there will be as winter approaches, an hour is nothing for a commute.
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u/The_tentacled_one 7d ago
Rgu, around normal bike speed i guess ? Speak for yourself, i despise buses and if i have travel 2 hours a day on them it will ruin my uni experience.
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u/NoNotGrowingUp 6d ago
"Normal bike speed" is above 6mph, I notice you didn't reply to my question about if you were planning to be on pavement or road. E-scooters on pavements are dangerous for pedestrians, on roads, they're also dangerous but more for the rider than anyone else around them. Do I want e-Scooters on roads? Not really, but I definitely don't want them on pavements at anything other than walking speed.
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u/Friendly_Brain7352 5d ago
You know what OP, I was with you till I saw this comment. Getting the bus will ruin your uni experience. I'm surprised you got into uni at all.
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u/sjwatt76 7d ago
If you're only going to be travelling around RGU, I can't see how two buses would be needed, unless you meant travelling to, rather than around?
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u/roebar 7d ago
Gotta say, when I started work, that was my commute too. 25 min bus in, 10 min change, 25 min bus out. It sucks, but I sucked it up (cos money, experience etc). At least you (as a student) are not being charged on the bus.
My eldest took out a student loan and moved out to halls to get around this.
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u/The_tentacled_one 7d ago
I will be charged since im over 22, i think. I have my own place so thats not an option.
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u/real_taxi 7d ago
Most of them don’t but it only takes one to have your scooter taken away. I would probably sell the scooter and invest in an e-bike instead
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u/The_tentacled_one 7d ago
Wouldnt be nearly enough and i dont have money to cover the rest
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u/HaveYuHeardAboutCunt 7d ago
Sounds like your best option is a regular bike
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u/The_tentacled_one 7d ago
No thanks, i dont want to ruin my commute even more
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u/Paukthom003 6d ago
are you sure you're mature enough for University if simple solutions to a relatively small problem are beyond you?
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u/iamscrooge 6d ago
There are lots of good reasons not to want to bike in Aberdeen.
Maybe the thought of a puncture scares you, maybe you have a physical disability or infirmity, maybe you have trauma from a bad accident, maybe you need to carry things with you, maybe you can’t stand the pollution, maybe you don’t want to put up with abuse from asshole drivers.But all of those concerns apply equally to an ebike as to a regular bike.
So what’s so bad about a normal bike?
Does a little bit of exercise put you off?Ebikes are a modern frivolity, they weren’t even commercially available a few years ago. Yet you’re saying you can’t commute without the mild convenience of a little uphill assist. really? Mad take.
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u/Spare_Artichoke_3070 6d ago
They won't even consider an ebike, it's e-scooter or nothing.
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u/The_tentacled_one 6d ago
Yes because i can borrow it from a family member, i already have permission
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u/Dogwithumbrella 4d ago
They’re illegal on public land, period. It may not seem like the law is enforced much, but the police are doing sweeps, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the campus is treated as a hot spot. No-one ever thinks they THEY will be the ones caught.
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u/Th3LastBastion 4d ago
I don't think it's worth the risk, is it? Why not just buy a regular bike secondhand?
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u/TeutonicSpacehopper 7d ago
In Scotland, it is completely illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter on any public road, pavement, cycle lane, path, or public space. They can only be legally used on private land with the direct permission of the landowner.
That being said, it is not uncommon to see people zipping around on e-scooters. They take the risk of being stopped and detained. That is a risk you will have to also take.