Planned Walsall crackdown on killing machine’ e-scooters after 50 off-road bikes crushed

Members of Walsall Council’s economy and environment overview and scrutiny committee were told how the use of drones had led to the seizure and crushing of more than 50 off-road bikes across the borough in just over a year.

And now the nuisance of e-scooters are on the authority’s hit-list as they look to tackle perpetrators and prevent people from getting hurt.

The law currently states it is illegal to ride electronic scooters on the road or in public land, unless they are official rental vehicles, and can only be used on private land with the owner’s permission.

Walsall Council leader Mike Bird said he’d ban the machines and labelled them as the ‘most dangerous pieces of equipment’ he had seen.

Operation Adhesion was launched in November 2022 to tackle the scourge of off-road bikes being ridden illegally and a series of ‘all out days’ were held by police, council and other partners leading to vehicles being seized and offenders caught.

But tragedy struck in July last year when seven-year-old Katniss Seleznev was knocked down and killed in Turnstone Road, Blakenall.

A 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after the incident and released while enquiries continued.

Councillor Garry Perry, deputy leader for resilient communities, said: “The success story is 50 plus vehicles have been taken off the streets of Walsall.

“I watched the crushing of those bikes to send the message out to the community we are serious about tackling the consequences of off road biking.

“That said, it still remains a critical challenge for us. This year, we are committed – through the Safer Walsall Partnership – to continue those actions again.

“We will be targeting additional areas – it has a borough reach so nowhere is hidden from this.

“Unfortunately we had the very sad death of Katniss in Blakenall which brought home the impact these dangerous machines can have on our communities.

“Did that change behaviours? Did that stop it from happening? Absolutely not and 24 hours there were individuals, even in that area, on off road vehicles.

“Moving forward, we will look at other vehicles which are challenging such as e-scooters which are becoming a nuisance.

“The amount of times I will see men on scooters without helmets or protection whizzing in and out of footpaths but that will be a different type of challenge.”

Councillor Bird added: “If I had my way, I’d ban these electric scooters. They are a killing machine.

“What people need to understand is it’s not illegal to sell them but it’s illegal to ride them.

“Someone has to wake up and smell the coffee because these are the most dangerous pieces of equipment I’ve seen

“I was travelling up Barr Beacon and three adults came into the middle of the road driving those things, no helmets no nothing, dressed in black clothes doing around 40/50 mph.

“It’s not what they want to do with their lives, it’s what they do to other people’s lives. I’d ban them tomorrow.”

During the debate, Walsall Labour group leader Matt Ward received a text message from a resident about off-road bikes in a local park.

He welcomed the action but called for more to be done to promote legal facilities for kids to use and education in schools.

He added: “E-scooters are the bane of our lives. The ones parents buy for their kids are cheap online and a lot of those will go up in flames in your house. The devastation is unbelievable.”