CALLS have been made to “crackdown” on the misuse of e-scooters in the city after a trio of youngsters was spotted riding one.

The Tier scooters launched across Essex a couple of years ago.

It has received a mixed reception with some saying they are a good way to ease congestion and others saying they are a nuisance and lead to injuries.

One concerned resident, spotted the youngsters after they had just come out of Lidl in St Andrew's on Saturday afternoon and aired concerns over the underage use by children.

They said: "It is about time the misuse of these nuisance Tier scooters were cracked down on."

"A serious accident is a matter of time.

"I have come close to 'near-miss' incidents, twice my dogs and I have had to evade speeding scooters down the pavement.

"I understand the green credentials of e-scooters and bikes but it needs better management, monitoring and fines for illegal use."

Gazette: Worry - councillor Steph Nissen stressed it is dangerous for children to ride the e-scootersWorry - councillor Steph Nissen stressed it is dangerous for children to ride the e-scooters (Image: Newsquest)

Castle ward councillor Steph Nissen said: “Tier scooters are designed to be used by one person at a time only and have technology to enforce this.

“They are designed to shut off if the scooter detects more than one person riding.

“Safe usage means sticking to the rules, and Tier needs to ensure account holders who break the rules are prevented from renting them again.

“It’s dangerous for children to ride them, their parent or carer should not have allowed this to happen.”

Tier e-scooters have been available to hire in the city since the summer of 2022, following the company’s acquisition of SPIN, which previously ran the service.

The micro-mobility operator also runs the e-bike scheme across much of Essex.

Gazette: Popular - an e-scooter pictured in Colchester's city centrePopular - an e-scooter pictured in Colchester's city centre (Image: N/A)

Under Tier’s terms and conditions, it says riders must not use a vehicle together with one or more other persons.

The company also states anyone using e-scooters must be at least 18 years of age, with e-bike users needing to be just 16.

Tier was contacted for comment by The Gazette but did not respond at the time of going to press.

  • Steph Nissen is standing for election in the Castle ward. The other candidates are Martin Gillingham (Lib Dem), Ryan Smith (Con) and Kemal Çufoğlu (Grn).