A 58-year-old man had his Harley Davidson-style e-scooter seized by police in Perth city centre just moments having it delivered.
Robert Love bought the £1,100 ride-on “Chopper” because it was “better for the planet” and easier on his sore back than a pedal bike.
He had not even switched it on when it was taken away by officers.
Love appeared at Perth’s Justice of the Peace Court and admitted using an unregistered electric scooter without insurance on July 24 2021.
He escaped punishment following a special reasons hearing, where he explained he did not realise he needed to get insurance and was confused by differences between English and Scottish regulations.
Eco-bike better for the planet
Love, of Mansfield Road, Scone, told the court he bought the scooter from a friend in Glasgow and had it delivered to an address at the top of Perth’s High Street.
He was in the saddle, pushing it along with his feet when he was stopped by officers at the junction with Caledonia Road.
Former landscaper Love said: “I’d saved up to buy it because I thought it would be better for the planet.
“It’s eco and it’s not using fuel so it’s not putting out emissions.”
Love, who was forced to quit work because of a back injury, told the court the vehicle was black and looked like a Harley Davidson from the front.
“I didn’t know I had to get it insured,” he said.
“If I made a mistake then it’s my fault.”
He said once he gets the scooter back, he plans to get it registered and insured before taking it for a spin on local fields.
Asked by solicitor David Holmes if he had seen any publicity around scooters, Love said: “I heard there was a law coming out but I thought it was just for England, not Scotland.”
Love said that he had researched legislation “after the fact”.
He told the hearing: “It took me months to find anything.
“I even had to phone up my local MP and ask him about the law.”
Honest witness
Mr Holmes, defending, said Love was a “straightforward and honest person,” adding: “Insurance was not something that would have occurred to him because he wasn’t planning to use it on the roads.”
His client had no previous convictions.
He said. “He should have had this delivered directly to his house.”
Fiscal depute Stuart Hamilton said: “I agree with Mr Holmes that Mr Love is an honest and straightforward witness.
“However, ignorance of the law is no excuse but I do have a degree of sympathy for his position.”
After the hour-long hearing, Love was admonished by JP Paul Walker.
Legislation
Although e-scooters can be legally purchased in Scotland, it is still illegal to ride them in public places across the UK.
There are some exceptions for trial schemes in England but in those cases e-scooters must only be used on roads and cycle lanes.
E-scooters are recognised in law as “Personal Light Electric Vehicles” so they fall under the same laws and regulations as motor vehicles.
They are subject to all the same legal requirements under the Road Traffic Act 1988 as cars, so require an MOT, tax and insurance.
In July 2021, the UK Government introduced legislation trialling the use of e-scooters, through local authorities, for a period of 12 months via approved rental companies.
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