New laws are on the way for powred wheelchairs and handbikes like the models made by DaVinci Mobility in Liverpool
CHANGES to 50-year-old laws covering powered mobility devices are on the way – and you can have your say on them.
A Government consultation suggests options for updating legislation on powered wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and power assisted devices like hand bikes and trail riders.
The Department for Transport (DfT) says powered mobility devices are often a lifeline for people, but that some aspects of the law are now out of date, and do not reflect the devices disabled people, and people with reduced mobility, need or want to use.
The DfT says that any reforms should allow people who need a mobility device to use it legally, lead to greater choice of devices, and enable people to feel and be safe when using roads and pavements.
Among the changes proposed is to scrap the use of the term “invalid carriage” in legislation and replace it with “mobility device”.
The consultation seeks views on:
- What types of mobility device should be able to use cycle lanes on roads and off-road cycle tracks.
- If weight, speed and minimum age limits for different classes of powered mobility devices should be altered.
- Whether disabled people should be allowed to carry passengers on their devices in certain situations.
It will also examine whether wheelchairs with devices such as power, hand cycle or hand e-cycle attachments should be recognised as powered mobility devices under the legislation for use on roads and pavements.
And it will look at whether pedal cycles, e-scooters and e-cycles should be recognised as mobility devices and treated differently when used on pavements and in public spaces by a disabled person.
Sir Stephen Timms, the minister for social security and disability, said: “I encourage disabled people to respond to the consultation, so their views and voices are used to shape this policy.”
THE CONSULTATION follows years of campaigning by the disabled people’s organisation Wheels for Wellbeing (WfW).
One of its cases involved the confiscation by Metropolitan Police, last May, of a man’s wheelchair and clip-on powered attachment.
Police treated them as an uninsured motor vehicle.
The law currently says such attachments can only be used legally on roads if they have an MOT certificate, insurance and licence plate, and the user has the appropriate driving licence.
Isabelle Clement, director of WfW, said: “Over 10 million people in the UK have mobility-related impairments. Existing laws create confusion, restrict market innovation and limit disabled people’s freedom to travel.
“New high-quality regulations that meet disabled people’s needs will enable millions more disabled people to legally use a growing range of existing and innovative mobility devices to move around our communities.”
Nick Goldup, chief executive of the Wheelchair Alliance, whose board members include wheelchair-users – including its president, Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson – said: “For too long, wheelchair-users have been sidelined by outdated legislation and offensive terminology.
“Many individuals using wheelchairs over 150kg have been left feeling anxious and worried about breaking the law. We will continue to amplify the voices of our community to ensure this review delivers a fairer, more inclusive future for all.”
How to take part:
- Online: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/x-HTXUML/
- By post: Paper copies available from – Micromobility Team, Roads Transport Group, Department for Transport, 33 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 4DR
- Email: mobilitydevices@dft.gov.uk
- The consultation runs until April 22
