Two-thirds of Londoners feel there are too many cars on the road

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TIER e-scooter

  • Study finds nearly 1 in 5 shared e-scooter journeys is replacing a car journey
  • More than a third of Londoners feel exposed to other vehicles when travelling by bike or e-scooter
  • 80% of Beeline navigation users polled report feeling safer when riding their bike when following a quieter route as chosen by the app

E-scooter company TIER has revealed that 66% of Londoners feel there are too many cars on the road in the capital, with 73% saying they feel cars are polluting the air in the city.

The findings released ahead of European Mobility Week come from TIER’s perceptions study, a study into micro-mobility in London since the e-scooter trials began. The study also found that nearly 1 in 5 e-scooter hires replaced a car-based journey. The study also highlighted some of the barriers to Londoners trying out travelling by bike or by e-scooter, with over a third reporting that they feel exposed to other vehicles on the road and only 50% feeling that cycling is easy and efficient in London.

To help combat the barriers to the adoption of micro-mobility, TIER has partnered with Beeline to provide navigation within the TIER app for e-scooter riders. Beeline’s routing technology picks quieter and safer routes which utilise cycling infrastructure and quiet streets, partly based on feedback from Beeline users. According to a poll of Beeline users, just under 80% said that since using the Beeline app or device they have felt safer whilst riding their bike.

This month TIER has deployed camera-equipped R&D e-scooters in ten cities across Europe which are able to detect pedestrians, other roads and what surface the e-scooter is being ridden on using the latest computer vision technology. These R&D e-scooters are being used to evaluate future e-scooter features which will be rolled-out across TIER’s fleet of ‘Parrot’ brain equipped e-scooters such as, for example, pavement riding detection.

Says Georgia Yexley, General Manager for the UK and Ireland, TIER:

“The majority of Londoners want to see fewer cars on the streets, but for many people choosing an alternative form of transport like cycling or riding a e-scooter can feel unattainable. Through our partnership with Beeline, our users can choose a route which avoids major roads and links up some of the fantastic cycling infrastructure already in the city. This Car-Free Day we would like to encourage more people to grab an e-bike or e-scooter and see how pleasant and efficient leaving the car at home can be!”

Chris Price
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