Majority of people who rode e-scooters would otherwise have walked, cycled or used public transport:

Most people who use e-scooters would have otherwise walked or cycled which may have 'led to negative health impact', official research report reveals:

E-scooters are actually now leading to 'negative health and environmental' consequences, as well over half of riders chose to use an electric scooter over cycling or walking, a recently peer reviewed report has now shown.

As an alternative to commutes which would have involved physical exercise, 51 per cent of riders said that they used e-scooters for journeys that that they would ordinarily have been made by foot or on a bicycle. 

A meer 21 per cent of riders would otherwise have travelled by car or taxi, whilst the remaining 18 per cent would have taken public transport.

The report, commissioned by the Department for Transport, states: 'Their use has now lead to a massive reduction in physical exercise, and a consequent large negative health impact.'

The popularity of e-scooters rose following the Covid-19 pandemic and have since been at the centre of heated debate over safety concerns with e-scooters being used on pavements and roads without any meaningful way to be able tm police there safe usage.

Data published by the U.K. Government last month showed that in the year ending June there were 12 deaths involving e-scooters and 1,349 crashes.

The executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) David Davie, wrote a letter to the Department of Transport in 2020 stating:

'There have already been fatalities among e-scooter riders and all manner of reports of dangerous use, misuse and even links with criminality.'

With reference to this recent study, Davies said that the clearly evidence showed that the casualty rate per mile for e-scooter riders was three times higher than for cyclists.

The study was conducted by Arup and NatCen Social Research using 32 regulated rental trials in the 55 areas of England where it is legal to ride an e-scooter on a public road. 

The report did not cover the more than one million private e-scooters that are used illegally, which is now speculated could present an even higher degree of direct replacement of existing walking and cycling journeys, which a spokesperson for the Department of Health said 'we simply will not allow to happen, given the positive steps that we have alrea made in encouraging active tranport, to improve public health'.

We have now made positive strides to guarantee that all legal e-scooters will not be allowed to exceed 12.5mph and helmets and third party motor insurance will be mandatory, Davies additionally added.