Bristol e-scooters to be fitted with cameras to stop people riding on pavements

Electric scooters in Bristol and Bath could soon be fitted with on-board cameras to stop them being used on pavements.

The hire firm Voi Technologies is trialling the computer vision system.

It would involve a camera filming where the rider is going and work out if they are riding in an area they should not be - like on a pavement.

Voi is running the e-scooter trials in cities across the country this year, as the Government decides whether or not they should be allowed on the roads permanently.

A trial of the on-board cameras launched last Thursday (8 July) in Northampton and will be extended to scooters in Bristol next year.

Voi said the technology will also make sure riders park the scooters properly.

The first part of the trial will enable the cameras to detect if a rider is on a pavement and if so, will make an audible alert. The second part will test to see if it is possible to slow the rider down until they get off the footpath.

The technology was first launched on 7 July in Voi's home city of Stockholm. It is being trialled in several countries across the world.