A TRIAL of e-scooters in Oxford will continue until November after a traffic order was signed off.

Since the scheme started in February 2021, a total of 34,000 unique accounts have used the e-scooters in the city.

The trial is currently legally allowed through a series of Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs), the first of which was due to expire on August 11.

To allow the trial to legally continue through to November, the ETROs needed to be made permanent.

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That decision was left to Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highway management, Andrew Gant, who was recommended by officers to give the green light to the ETROs.

At the delegated decisions meeting at county hall, Mr Gant said: “This is a trial, it’s come up for decision because the ETRO comes to an end and therefore legally, it has to turn into a TRO [Traffic Regulation Order] or not.

“I am going to agree the recommendation that the ETRO becomes a TRO.

“The trial itself runs only until November this year, at which point, the whole scheme will be up for review, not just by us, but by the DfT [Department for Transport] as well.

“Obviously a scheme of this kind will be kept under constant and permanent review.

“I think this facility has made a significant contribution to choice of travel method in our city.”

Oxford Mail: Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highway management, Andrew Gant. Picture: Ed NixOxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highway management, Andrew Gant. Picture: Ed Nix (Image: Ed Nix)

A report by Bill Cotton, the county council’s corporate director for environment and place, states the trial has replaced an estimated 97,463 car journeys and saved 50 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The report adds: “One of the main risks identified is the possibility of poorly parked e-scooters (pavement clutter) presenting trip hazards to blind or partially sighted individuals.

“Formalised parking zones for e-scooters together with a demerit-based system for poor parking has worked well to date.

“Ninety per cent of e-scooters are currently reported as being parked in a tidy fashion.”

Oxford Mail: An e-scooter rider goes through an LTN in OxfordAn e-scooter rider goes through an LTN in Oxford

While the ETROs were approved until the trial ends in November, two other matters will be kept under review by officers.

These include the hours of operation for e-scooters, with the proposed stop time of 10pm, and the limits this placed on people wishing to use e-scooters on a night out.

The size of the e-scooter fleet will also be kept under review, with the number currently standing at between 600 and 620.

In total, the e-scooters have been used 305,000 times, covering a distance of 420,000 miles.

The trial will continue to be operated via a contract with Voi.

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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.

Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice