News / e-scooters
Bristol’s government offices no longer allow e-bikes and e-scooters
E-scooters and e-bikes have been banned from being stored inside government offices in Bristol due to the risk of fires caused by their lithium battery packs.
It comes after Bristol’s new e-scooter rental operator Dott also recalled long-term rental vehicles due to similar fears of them being stored inside homes.
An update sent to office workers in Temple Quay said that even though electric vehicles could still be ridden to work, they no longer can be stored inside the basement car park of the building on Rivergate.
is needed now More than ever
The government owns several buildings around Temple Quay
The update suggested that those riding e-bikes or e-scooters to work would be “required to lock their bike to any of the public locking posts, at their own risk”
Within days of the new edict, Ofsted worker, Nicola Tanner, locked her bike to a rack outside her office using two sturdy locks but when she returned, the battery unit had been wrenched off.
Tanner told Bristol24/7: “I used my electric bike to get to work yesterday, and locked it up on the racks on Rivergate outside the front of the office, which is covered by the CCTV camera on the front of the building.
“I used two locks… they were evidently semi-effective as my bike was still there at the end of the day, but the battery unit had been wrenched off and stolen, damaging the mounting unit.
“It’s probably about £400 to £500 to replace that from what I can find online.
“I’ve reported the theft to the police but bike theft/damage doesn’t get investigated in Bristol so not expecting anything except a crime reference number.”
“So much for Bristol being a cycling city!”
Dott has paused Bristol’s e-scooter long-term rental scheme due to fire risks – photo: Martin Booth
In a GPA document seen by Bristol24/7, the agency has maintained that there are “emerging fire risks associated with e-bikes and e-scooters”.
The document said: “Increasing concerns have been raised over the growing number of incidents of fires involving the Lithium battery packs in both e-bikes and e-scooters, many of which have resulted in the devastating loss of property and increasing numbers of instances involving loss of life or serious injury.
“Indeed, e-scooters have now been recently banned from all London public transport.
“Fire incident data supplied by the thirty-eight fire and rescue services across England suggests that the total incidents in recent years have more than quadrupled with eleven deaths in the UK last year, in fires caused by e-bikes.
“It is an individual’s responsibility to ensure that they are legally entitled to use these products on the Highway as there are minimum legal requirements for their use.”
A Cabinet Office spokesperson added: “We manage a large complex property estate, many buildings of which are of historical significance and regularly occupied by hundreds of people.
“To ensure the public estate remains safe and secure to all, we regularly update our health and safety guidance in line with expert advice.”
Main photo: Ed Whyman
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