Public transport hygiene:

• ‘There is a demonstrable link between public transport use and infectious diseases transmission’.(1)

• Close contact and the touching of shared surfaces is virtually unavoidable at peak times on public transport, heightening exposure to infection.

• Public transport therefore increases mass risk of virus contraction and spread.

UK environmental health issues:

• Children in every school in London and 234 schools in Birmingham are exposed to toxic pollution over the health limits of the World Health Organisation. (2)

• Air pollution impacts neurodevelopment and cognitive ability, can trigger asthma and childhood cancer, and is strongly associated with cardiovascular issues. (3)

• Diesel cars are the single biggest contributor to nitrogen oxides (NOx) levels in the UK, responsible for 41% of all NOx emissions from road transport. (4)

• People in the UK are 64 times as likely to die as a result of air pollution as those in Sweden and twice as likely as those in the US. (4)

A summary of why electric scooters should be legal as soon as possible:

• Electric scooters produce a fraction of the pollution cars doThe more people that scoot, the less people are likely to drive (5)

• Less cars on the road means less pollution and less congestionE-scooters can provide greater freedom to travelThere’s no close contact or shared surfacesOver time, e-scooters are cheaper than public transportThey’re just as safe as bikes 5

Sources

1 BMC Environmental Health article: Analysing the link between public transport use and airborne transmission: mobility and contagion in the London underground
2 The Times, 2019.
3 World Health Organisation, 2018.
4 Greener Journeys Report, Tackling Pollution & Congestion, 2017.
5 Matthew Leash, Safe To Scoot – How Legalising E-scooter Will Save Lives, Bust Congestion and Help the Environment (2020).

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