The e-scooter: road menace or saviour of the commute?

They may be a common sight, but privately owned motorised scooters are still illegal on Britain's roads and pavements. But with rental scheme trials taking place across the country, could they be answer to getting to work in the pandemic?

Standing upright, you glide, ghostlike, along the street. You have no emissions. You are alone, outside, unlikely to catch anything or pass anything on. You are no burden to the public transport system, nor do you contribute much to congestion. You take up little space.

Now you join a busier road, one with buses. Perhaps you feel small, vulnerable. But when the traffic bunches up and stops, you can pass. Ha! This is the future of urban travel, isn't it? Make that the present: it is here, you are here, going somewhere else quickly, with a smile. You are also breaking the law.