E-scooters around campus

Milton Keynes Council are trialling E-scooters as part of an innovative national scheme, working with Lime, Spin and Ginger. The trial will last up to 12 months and with no more than 900 scooters deployed during the trial.

The Open University have decided to put Walton Hall campus into a ‘no go zone’ so users will not be permitted on site while riding an E-scooter.

E-scooter Operators have been informed of our decision meaning that the OU has been added to their geo fenced “no go areas” on their maps. E-scooter power will simply not work on-site. E-scooter users will be informed of all “no go areas” when accessing the Operator websites. 

There are a number of reasons for E-scooters not to be allowed to be used on-site, these include:

• Liability risks to the OU - It is illegal for riders to use pathways so Users would have to ride on main roads, this increases the risk of an incident whether it be personal injury or property damage,

• Security risks to the OU - It will be easier to access site which would make access control very difficult.

• H&S risks to the OU - There are no parking facilities available for E-scooters on campus.  Allowing for E-scooters to be left just anywhere would cause obstructions to others and potential H&S / Theft risks. Such monitoring would become a challenge with the safety of the scooters and people.

Security will be informed of this decision and will be required to take appropriate action should any E-scooters enter campus. 

Additional Information:

If you use a hired or privately owned E-scooter on any public road or outside of trial areas, you can be fined up to £300 on a fixed-penalty notice, and six points on your driving licence if you have one.

Estates will periodically be reviewing E-scooters utilisation, considering current legislation and the findings from the Milton Keynes trial. 

For more information, please visit the Get Around MK website for more information - https://getaroundmk.org.uk/get-connected/go-electric/e-scooter-trials

If you have any questions, please contact Travel-advice@open.ac.uk

London Fire Brigade Safety Warning

There have been a few recent fire's caused by e-bike and e-scooter batteries so London fire Brigade have provided some safety advice for users of e-bikes & e-scooters. Please follow this news artcle for more information.