Headlines: Liverpool extends Voi e-scooter trial by six months

It’s been one year since the Voi e-scooters pilot scheme launched in Liverpool and the trial has been extended until March 2022.

Since October 2020, Liverpool’s residents and visitors have covered nearly 2.3 million miles on over 1.4 million rides on the vehicles.

Estimates suggest this has replaced 600,000 short car journeys and seen a reduction of 328 tonnes in carbon emissions.

One in four riders use the e-scooters to get to work, but they are also used as part of recreational excursions, such as going to the gym, shopping or meeting up with friends.

Reaction to e-scooter scheme extension

Councillor Dan Barrington, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment at Liverpool City Council, said:  “I am pleased that the scheme is continuing to evolve, and that we have further opportunity to help shape the e-scooter experience, not just in Liverpool, but internationally too.

“My focus remains ensuring the safety for riders, other road users and pedestrians in Liverpool, and we will continue to work closely with Voi and partners at the Combined Authority to respond to any concerns and adapt the scheme if required.”

E-scooter saftey warnings

The pilot scheme has not been without criticism, with The National Federation of the Blind of the UK documenting misuse of e-scooters in the city and submitting a petition to the Government calling for an immediate suspension of all trials across the UK.

David Bodansky, an orthopaedic surgeon at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, told LiverpoolWorld  back in August his research showed that e-scooters were associated with a ‘marked increase in musculoskeletal trauma’ in the city.

Strand reopens with major changes

The Strand has reopened after more than a year of roadworks came to an end.

The road is one of the key parts of a major overhaul of the city centre’s road network, with a huge revamp on the road having been underway since June last year.

There’s fewer vehicle lanes, a new cycle path and greater tree coverage.

Government backs region’s revolutionary green network

The government has backed an innovative low carbon and hydrogen energy project for the North West and North Wales.

The HyNet programme is one of just two carbon capture, usage and storage schemes nationally to be selected for further development by the government.

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “I’ve been a longstanding and passionate advocate of HyNet, for its revolutionary approach to clean, green energy, and for its capacity to protect and create thousands of high-skilled, high-paid jobs across the region.

“And it is the Liverpool City Region that is at the heart of HyNet, from pioneering trials of new technology in St Helens and the Wirral, to carbon storage in Liverpool Bay.

“When it is up and running in 2025, it will provide a huge boost to our economy and our ambitious net zero targets.

“This project alone will reduce the region’s carbon emissions by 10m tonnes each and every year by 2030.

“It could also generate up to £31bn for the UK and will single-handedly deliver 80% of the UK’s clean power targets by the end of the decade.”