E-scooters and accessibility in urban environments - The experiences of people with impaired vision or impaired mobility

There can be major challenges associated with e-scooters for people with impaired vision or mobility, but the experiences of these groups have not been investigated before. Through surveys, this project maps how e-scooters affect the sense of safety and accessibility to the urban environment for people with impaired vision or mobility. The results show that the respondents experience e-scooters to a large extent as an obstacle in urban environments, particularly on pavements and at the entrance to buildings. Many people feel unsafe when interacting with e-scooter riders, and many have experienced near-collisions. E-scooters impact how they use urban areas, as many report needing to use more time on trips, and some also avoid certain areas or sometimes avoid taking trips due to e-scooters. Among people with reduced mobility, many have experienced being forced to turn around or go out into the road because of parked e-scooters.