Newquay mayor backs launch of Beryl e-scooters in town

Newquay's mayor has welcomed the arrival of Beryl e-scooters, saying they will provide another safe and sustainable way for people to travel around the town.

Between 50 and 75 e-scooters have been introduced as part of a trial. They join the existing fleet of Beryl e-bikes already operating in Newquay.

Drew Creek, who is also a Green Party town and Cornwall councillor, said he understood some people had concerns about safety but believed the evidence supported the scheme.

He said: "I know some people have some concerns around safety, but looking at the safety records that ROSPA hold on e-scooters within the trial areas, actually they're significantly safer than the e-bikes when it comes to crashes and injuries.

"So super exciting. This is another brilliant way of getting in and around our town that doesn't require you to obviously drive in and out by car, reduces congestion, improves air quality and it's just generally quite fun."

LISTEN: Councillor Creek gives his reaction to the e-scooter scheme. PRESS PLAY...

A 2022 study by RoSPA and safety-focused operator Neuron Mobility compared incident rates for e-scooters with other forms of transport.

It found e-scooters were involved in 0.66 collisions per million miles travelled. By comparison, bicycles were around five times more likely to be involved in a collision, while motorcycle collision rates were around nine times higher.

The e-scooters cost £1 to unlock and then 22p per minute to hire. The unlocking fee is waived for users who buy minute bundles in advance.

Beryl will operate and maintain the scheme, with local contractors carrying out maintenance on both the e-scooters and e-bikes, creating economic benefits in Cornwall. Cornwall Council said its only costs are staff time and those associated with experimental traffic orders.

Anyone wishing to use an e-scooter must first register through the Beryl app using a physical driving licence and facial recognition. Users must also complete a two-minute safety guide before they can hire a scooter.

The trial limits e-scooters to a maximum speed of 12.5mph, although the Department for Transport could increase this to 15.5mph in future.

The scheme also includes "Go Slow Zones", where speeds are restricted to 7.5mph in pedestrianised areas, and "No Go Zones", including skate parks, where scooters cannot be ridden.

Addressing concerns that scooters could be abandoned, Mr Creek said misuse had so far been minimal with the existing e-bike scheme.

He said: "When I look at the numbers with the Beryl team on the e-bikes that are being abandoned in places outside of the designated bays, it's really minimal.

"For those people that do that, they face a £10 one-off charge, so there is lots of impetus for not doing it.

"Of course, you're always going to get someone that lobs one off a cliff or throws it into a lake or something. Clearly that's not something that we can do a great deal about, though the numbers here in Newquay have been really, really low compared to other areas in the country. So I feel really confident that these will be well used."