Lauren Baker is a Postgraduate Researcher Nottingham Trent University looking at all things 'micromobility' (e-scooters and e-bikes). Here she discusses the impacts, and benefits, they have on the local community and asks for your input to feed into the latest research...
Please fill out the e-bikes and e-scooters survey here
In recent years the streets of Nottingham have played host to an influx of small and colourful electric vehicles in the form of rental e-scooters and e-bikes, often referred to as ‘micromobility’. Nottingham’s micromobility journey started with the appearance of e-scooters in 2020. Like many others I was intrigued, gave the scooters a go... And decided they weren’t for me. After struggling to unlock a scooter, then to find a replacement once the battery swiftly conked out, I wasn’t convinced they could ever replace my reliable bicycle.
When rental e-bikes, operated by the company Lime, arrived in 2023, it was time to give micromobility another shot. Cycling has been an important part of my life for many years, so why not try it in this new electric format? The e-bikes haven’t transformed how I travel, but as an occasional Lime rider I do appreciate some of their benefits. On a low energy day having a boost up some of Nottingham’s steeper hills is a plus, or the option to still cycle into the city on nights when I won’t want the burden of my own bike for the trip home.
While rental e-bikes and e-scooters will never be my main mode of transportation, the debate over these services has always interested me. There are some forceful anti e-scooter and e-bike positions out there. I first became aware of the strength of feeling when speaking to people in my community about a cycling campaign. E-scooters kept coming up, they dominated conversations. Those firmly in the 'no to e-scooters and e-bikes camp’ have good reasons for their strong emotions.
The sight of micromobility vehicles ‘parked’ in a careless manner, sometimes blocking the way for pedestrians, will be familiar to many. Rule breaking pavement riding and irresponsible rider behaviour have also been a topic of concern. The threat to e-scooter and e-bike riders themselves is alarming. Sadly, numerous casualties have been reported both nationally and locally, with research suggesting some riders do not comprehend the level of risk they can face. Media coverage has tended to focus on the negatives of rental services. This reporting presumably both reflects and shapes public opinion, but it’s unlikely that this is the whole story.
Nottingham’s rental e-scooter scheme, which has been paused for over a year, is known to have been one of the best used in the country. Rental e-bikes are also popular. Lime rides in Nottingham stand at around 400,000 and the fleet of 750 bikes can now be ridden across the whole of the city. So, what’s inspiring people to use the bikes and scooters?
The advantages micromobility rental services can provide, compared to the ‘traditional’ bicycle, are worth considering. Until last year I worked on community programmes which encourage cycling for transport. Through my work I met countless people who don’t cycle because they can’t store a bike at home, they don’t want the cost or responsibility of bike maintenance, or their bike was stolen and the risk of a repeat theft deterred them from a new purchase. Rental services address these issues by sharing them across their user base. Also noteworthy is the potential value of easy access to an e-bike. E-bikes aren’t cheap to buy, and the power they provide can be the difference between cycling and not cycling. Worth considering too, not all adults know how to ride a bike, but having this skill isn’t necessary to use an e-scooter.
So, are these particular benefits inspiring how e-scooter and e-bike riders see the rental services? Do they view them as convenient, flexible? And what is their take on the risk of collisions and unsafe riding behaviour? It is hard to tell, as their voices are often missing from the discourse.
The micromobility debate became a much bigger part of my life last year when an opportunity arose for me to start a PhD researching these modes of transport. My project is part of the Universities for Nottingham Co(l)laboratory programme, meaning that it is focused on Nottingham and intended to address issues in the community.
The obvious first step in my research has been to establish what people in Nottingham think about rental e-scooters and e-bikes, and so I have launched a city wide survey to try to find out. Now seems a particularly good time to understand public opinion as 2025 has brought exciting news for e-scooter fans. Nottingham City Council having announced a new partnership with the micromobility company Dott, and confirmed that scooters will be available again very soon.
My call to all readers is please take in my research. But this call out is especially to the people who actually use the e-bikes and, in a few weeks’ time, will likely be riding e-scooters again. These are voices which are often missing, and which I am hoping to capture. The survey will guide me to the next stage of research and I will be sharing the results with Nottingham City Council, who partner on the project. To say thanks everyone who takes part can enter into a prize draw for one of two £50 vouchers for wonderful Nottingham independents.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
