Ms Léan Kennedy:

Our top priority would be absolute restriction of e-scooters on footpaths and any kind of shared spaces, such as dual cycle and walking lanes and pedestrianised streets. The second would be the audio system on e-scooters. It is not just a matter of having a bell on scooters that someone can ring when they are encroaching on someone with a guide dog or using a long cane. There has to be a consistent sound coming from the e-scooter so that people will be able to hear it, wherever they are on the street, if they are in the vicinity of an e-scooter. It is important that there be something on the e-scooter all the time vibrating or emitting a noise that is loud enough to be heard over heavy traffic and so on. Our third priority would be the speed limit because e-scooters are so fast they whizz by. As I explained earlier, guide dogs do not have time to pre-empt the danger or react before an e-scooter comes up.

According to our survey, 53% of members, who are people using a guide dog or assistance dog, have already had encounters or near collisions with people using e-scooters. I know of one assistance dog family who have had two collisions already with an e-scooter. In each case the user has ridden the e-scooter up onto the footpath then back off onto the road, leaving the daughter with autism crying in the street. This is the impact they are having currently. The top speed-----