Scooter Tech Prevents Park Entry

E-scooters equipped with new tech to prevent them from entering Abington park.

13:17 18 November 2020

E-scooters are now banned from entering Abington Park following a collision incident involving a 20-week old Jack Russell puppy. 

 

Northamptonshire County Council confirms that electric scooters are now equipped with new technology to help avoid the same incidents from recurring. The 'geofencing' technology creates a virtual perimeter for Abington Park to prevent the scooters from going any further. 

 

Councillor Jason Smithers, cabinet member for Highways and Place at Northamptonshire County Council, said: "Safety is paramount. It is therefore important that all users abide by the rules; e-scooter users must be 18 or over and hold a driving licence in order to use them. We have also made clear that the e-scooters should not be used in Abington Park – the same rule applies to cycling (except for children under the age of 8).

 

“In order to address the issue of e-scooter use in the park, geofencing technology has been applied, which makes it impossible to ride an e-scooter inside the park, or to end a ride within the park’s perimeters.

 

"As part of our trial, we work very closely with Voi to make daily operational adjustments to our service, based on user feedback, user data and the overall feedback we receive from the local community. Strengthened geofencing was implemented on Thursday, and was fully in effect by Friday."

 

There are currently 10,300 Voi electric scooters registered in Northampton and more than 87,000 rides have been recorded to date.