Gamifying the city: E-scooters and the critical tensions of playful urban mobility

Wallius, Eetu; Thibault, Mattia; Apperley, Thomas; Hamari, Juho

doi:10.1080/17450101.2021.1985382

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…(Male staff,(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54) Riders having a lack of equipment (particularly helmets), not using the scooters properly (including the use of indicators) and not riding responsibly on the roads were all issues mentioned in the stories of non-users. This interlinks with the idea of e-scooter riders being seen as a general danger to non-users with whom they share the space (Wallius et al, 2021). Some non-users suggested the need for e-scooter training to be mandatory before riding.…”

Section: Non-user Perceptionsmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…In terms of their use, e-scooters have been held responsible for creating new conflicts between users and non-users by adding an additional mode to the already overcrowded shared space of public roads and pavements (Tuncer and Brown, 2020), with e-scooter riders generally being seen as a danger to non-users and all those with whom they share the urban space (Wallius et al, 2021). A lack of properly designed and designated scooter infrastructure has been suggested to increase tensions amongst users and non-users including pedestrians, motorised vehicles, and cyclists in public spaces, as they compete for already limited available capacity (Hosseinzadeh et al, 2021).…”

Section: Inclusivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Scooter Stories: User and Non-User Experiences of a Shared E-Scooter Trial

Clayton

Shergold

2023

Active Travel Studies

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E-scooters, also known as electric scooters or powered two-wheelers (PTWs), are currently the fastest-growing form of micro-mobility (Tuncer and Brown, 2020; Maiti et al., 2019). Whilst the technology has existed for about a century, modern e-scooters have seen a wave of popularity over the last few years, in many cities they have sparked something akin to an urban personal mobility revolution, particularly in parts of China, the US (United States), and across Europe (Hardt and Bogenberger, 2019; Christoforou et al., 2021). They are now a common sight on city streets, and have swiftly captured a broad user base. Despite their popularity and use, e-scooters raise a number of challenges for policymakers and transport providers, as well as being a divisive new mode on the streets of urban spaces. Reports of conflict and tension around e-scooters' safety for both riders and other road/path users are increasingly common, along with questions over what types of trips scooters are actually substituting, however these remain largely confined to media articles and reports, with few academic studies into user and non-user experiences (Gössling, 2020; Tuncer and Brown, 2020). This paper reports on research into a UK (United Kingdom) e-scooter trial in the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), managed by Voi scooters (Travel West, 2021; West of England Combined Authority, 2021). The trial was launched in Bristol and the West of England in autumn 2020 (Travel West, 2021). The research collected both quantitative and qualitative data from 179 participants, sampled from university staff and students. The primary focus of this paper’s analysis is on participants’ qualitative “scooter stories” – accounts of people’s perceptions and experiences of being a user or non-user of the public scooter scheme – which provide important insights into the benefits of public schemes, whilst also illuminating the substantial tensions that e-scooters can create between users and non-users. Alongside analysis of the scooter stories, the quantitative data provides broader insight into the scooters’ use, and demographic patterns.  The results identify a divide between users and non-users, with positive and negative perceptions often clearly demarcated by e-scooter experience (or inexperience). The findings show that on the positive side, e-scooters represent an incredibly useful, affordable, and often enjoyable form of personal transport for users, and have broadened people’s mobility options. E-scooters provide a viable alternative to some urban car trips and can be linked to active travel (albeit not strictly being an “active” mode themselves). However, e-scooters are often a source of conflict between users of urban space, particularly other road and foot/cycle path users. People's scooter stories illuminate a wide range of issues related to their use, including legality, safety of scooter riders, safety of other people, impacts on pavement and road space, intoxicated riding, and more. We also report evidence that whilst scooters are sometimes replacing trips that would have previously been made by private car, they are more often substituting for walking or cycling trips, which is a challenging finding from a health and sustainability perspective. The paper presents a discussion of these tensions and issues, considering the findings in the context of sustainable urban mobility policy. We make recommendations for policymakers and other stakeholders seeking to mitigate the impacts of e-scooters and harness the sustainable mobility benefits of this popular new mode. 

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Section: Non-user Perceptionsmentioning

confidence: 88%