How can we make UK streets friendlier for mobility scooters?

January 31, 2025

elderly woman on mobility scooter stopped on a zebra crossing in London. The woman is holding a colourful umbrella

A town that works for mobility scooter users works better for everyone. Features such as level pavements, ramps, smooth surfaces, and properly designed crossings benefit not only scooter users but also parents with pushchairs, older adults, and anyone with reduced mobility. Yet, UK towns are often characterised by narrow pavements, poorly maintained surfaces, and inaccessible shops, making everyday errands unnecessarily difficult for mobility scooter users.

Crossing the road is a particular challenge. Pedestrian crossings with insufficient timing or poor visibility can feel like an obstacle course for someone on a scooter. Similarly, high kerbs and uneven pavement slabs create hazards that make navigating town centres daunting or even dangerous.

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The problem with current regulations

Adding to these challenges is a regulatory framework that hasn’t kept pace with the needs of modern mobility scooter users. One glaring example is the UK’s prohibition of tandem mobility scooters. These scooters, designed to carry two passengers - often a disabled person and their carer or partner - are illegal on public footways and roads. This restriction ignores the very real need for such devices, particularly for those who rely on assistance to travel.

For couples or family members, tandem scooters could offer the chance to spend time together outside the house or help someone provide close support during errands. Instead, current laws force users to navigate these journeys separately, often doubling the logistical challenges.

Learning from inclusive design abroad

Countries like the Netherlands, which prioritise accessibility, offer lessons for the UK that go beyond the cycling infrastructure for which they are best known.

Dutch cities embrace inclusive design principles that cater to people of all ages and abilities. Wider pavements, clearly defined spaces for pedestrians and vehicles, and smoother transitions between street levels all contribute to creating environments that are safer and more accommodating for mobility scooters and wheelchairs.

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The UK has made some progress in accessibility, particularly with initiatives like step-free access to public transport and localised pedestrianisation schemes. However, these changes often exclude smaller towns and rural areas, where mobility scooter users can face even greater challenges due to uneven paths, lack of dropped kerbs, and insufficient public transport links.

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To make UK towns truly accessible for mobility scooter users, a few practical steps could go a long way:

1. Revise pavement design: Widen pavements and ensure they are kept in good repair. Remove street clutter such as advertising boards that create unnecessary obstacles.

2. Introduce more dropped kerbs: Kerbs should be dropped at regular intervals and positioned to allow smooth transitions between pavements and roads. For example, an 'entrance kerb' (called 'inritband' in Dutch) is a ramped kerb that allows pavements to run at a continuous, raised flat level.

3. Enforce parking regulations: Cars parked on pavements often force mobility scooter users onto busy roads. A nationwide ban on pavement parking is essential.

4. Legalise tandem mobility scooters: The current prohibition on tandem mobility scooters is outdated and counterproductive. Legalisation, coupled with clear safety standards, would meet a genuine need and promote inclusion.

5. Prioritise accessible shops and public spaces: Incentivise businesses to ensure their entrances and interiors are accessible to all users, including those on scooters.

6. Educate town planners and engineers: Encourage urban planners and engineers to consult with mobility scooter users and disability advocates to design towns that work for everyone. Better still, have those people spend a day or two navigating a town by mobility scooter to properly understand the challenges first hand.

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A vision for mobility

Making towns more accessible for mobility scooter users isn’t just about improving the lives of a small group; it’s about building better, more inclusive communities. Mobility scooter users should not be treated as an afterthought in urban planning. By addressing these issues we can create spaces where everyone, regardless of their mobility needs, can participate fully in public life.

It’s time for the UK to recognise mobility scooters not as a nuisance or an anomaly, but as an essential mode of transport. With thoughtful changes to infrastructure and regulations, we can ensure that our towns truly belong to everyone.

Breakdown cover

A breakdown is inconvenient at any time, but in winter, it can be downright dangerous. That’s why it pays to have mobility scooter breakdown cover. While standalone breakdown policies are available, you’ll often find better value when it’s included in a full insurance package.

For example, here at the ETA we offer a comprehensive policy for just £65 per year, covering scooters or powered wheelchairs worth up to £3,500. The policy includes:

• Theft and damage cover

• Personal accident cover up to £20,000

• Personal liability up to £2 million

• Breakdown cover for both you and your mobility scooter

• Puncture cover up to £100

• Personal effects up to £250

• Hospital benefit up to £250

• Personal assault/mugging cover up to £250

Mobility scooter insurance from the ETA is great value at £65 per year for a scooter or powered wheelchair worth up to £3,500. And you can buy the same policy to cover two people at the same address for a total price of only £90 per year - a 30% saving.

Find out more about ETA mobility scooter insurance here or if you prefer to talk to one of our friendly advisers, call 0333 000 1234.

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover  and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK's most ethical provider.

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Information correct at time of publication.

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