ELECTRIC scooters could help Glasgow stay “ahead of the curve” in an ongoing shift towards a future of micro-mobility.

With a pressing need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but also a drive to find ways to reduce crowding on public transport in light of the Covid-19 outbreak, e-scooters could “align very well with the mood in the public”.

Glasgow City Council confirmed plans to repurpose the city centres streets to make them better suited to physical distancing and to promote active travel.

As part of these plans, Glasgow could become the first Scottish cities to trial a transport method which is growing increasingly popular in other European countries and the USA – e-scooters.

READ MORE: Here are the changes being made to city centre streets in aid of physical distancing

Paul Williams, an expert on e-scooters and chief executive officer of cycling insurance provider Cycleplan, is urging Glasgow to “be bold and to look towards the future, rather than worrying about short term issues.

“We need to drive change,” he added.

Paul explains that a move towards micro-mobility in the form of e-bikes and e-scooter could benefit everyone to move around cities in a convenient and cost-effective ways.

“We would encourage the government to move through the trial period as quickly as possible and lay down some legislation to make these devices legal,” he said.

E-scooters have faced controversy, with some people raising safety concerns for both pedestrians and riders. However, the Cycleplan's CEO believes that the council’s plans such as the short-term suspension of one-third of the city centre’s on-street parking spaces, would ensure safety by creating lane ways for the riders. He said: “People should ideally be using e-scooters in public roads or cycle ways and paths specifically designed for it.

READ MORE: Glasgow takes step closer to city centre e-Scooter trials in Scotland-first

“This is why Glasgow’s funding of the changes to road networks to allow for e-scooters and the likelihood we will see parking spaces suspended and removed to allow an additional lane for cycles and e-scooters is a great idea.

“We will see the whole design of road networks changing and evolving. I think any city like Glasgow needs to be looking not two-three years ahead, they need to be looking 10 years, 15 or 20 years ahead when the volumes of people travelling around on micro-mobility devices will be significant.

He believes micro-mobility transport systems are the future for UK cities.

“It is going to transform cities as we know them. It will be quite phenomenal,” he added.