Police Crackdown on Motorised Scooters

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GMI

Police in Bristol are warning people who persist in riding motorised scooters that they face seizure of their vehicle and possibly, prosecution.

Posters are being put up around the Marksbury Road and Lynton Road areas of Knowle highlighting the law surrounding the use of these vehicles and the possible penalties after hundreds of calls from unhappy residents.

The vehicles, often Christmas presents, have been defined by the courts as motor vehicles and fall under the regulations in the Road Traffic Act.

However, many people see the vehicles as toys despite police warnings that they cannot be used on the public highway, which includes public parks.

The only place the vehicles can be used is on private property, with the landowners permission. They can be very dangerous to members of the public, other road users and for the riders themselves.

PC Ross Hale said: “Riding these vehicles, often called mini moto’s or buzzboards, is illegal everywhere, by anyone, apart from on private land.

While some parents may think their children are doing nothing wrong, and in fact are keeping out of trouble, we still get calls from local residents about the noise and the damage they can cause.

“We are inundated with calls about the use of these vehicles in the Marksbury Road and Lynton Road areas and we can not, and will not, allow their use to continue.”

Police around the whole of Bristol have a long standing initiative, Operation Biker, which tackles the illegal use of off-road bikes and scooters.