A year-long e-scooter trial has been launched in Richmond upon Thames as part of a bid to reduce air pollution and congestion across London.

You can find a scooter, begin and end your journey in six London boroughs today, these are: Richmond, Ealing, Canary Wharf, The City of London, Hammersmith and Fulham and The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Dott, Lime, and TIER scooters are all involved in the trial, which is the only legal way of riding e-scooters in public places in London.

Scooters are only allowed to be used on roads and in cycleways, not on footways and not in Richmond Park.

Users must download the e-scooter apps and rental prices depend on the operator used.

These are the places e-scooters can be rented in Teddington.

- High Street, Opposite Cambridge Road

A full list of parking locations is available HERE

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Will Norman, London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, told Sky news this morning: "What we're looking at is what role (e-scooters) can play in London's transport mix.

"We know that every day in London four and a half million car journeys are driven for less than two kilometres so the challenge is, how can we switch people from using those local car journeys to walking, cycling, and public transport?

"This trial is looking at what role can e-scooters play in complementing those modes, in reducing the amount of traffic on our roads, reducing congestion, and hopefully making the city better for everybody."

Safety has been a key concern for many and the trial is being designed to enable a better understanding of if and how the e-scooters can be safely accommodated as part of London's wider transport network.

All users have to have at least an official provisional driving licence and offences can be treated as motoring offences.

The scooters use geofence technology to ensure that they have a maximum speed of 12.5mph.

They have lightsat the front and the rear that are always on throughout any rental, and audible warning systemsthat can be used without adjusting the rider's grip of the handlebar.

Alan Clarke, Lime's Director of UK Policy and Government Affairs, said on Sky News: "They've got safety features like dual brakes, or large front wheel and suspension in case people go over potholes, and it keeps people on our scooters and other road users really really safe.

"That's very, very different from the privately-owned scooters, and we think that when people see these two scooters side by side on the street that difference will become really obvious."

www.richmond.gov.uk/escooters

Richmond Council and TfL said they will closely monitor the effects of the trial, which has the potential to add to the transport options within the Borough, subject to understanding its impact on other road users and safety.

Cllr Alexander Ehmann, Chair of the Council's Transport and Air Quality Committee, said:

"Our health and the climate are at risk from the huge amounts of pollution caused by vehicles in London. It's vital that we explore less-polluting modes of transport and TfL's e-scooter trial is the perfect opportunity to do this.

"The trial will allow TfL to better understand how e-scooters can be used safely in London.

"Residents can rest assured that the Council will monitor the trial closely and will take action if any issues do arise.

"Too often, outer London boroughs like our own miss out on important transport upgrades like this.

"I'm proud that Richmond upon Thames' residents will have the opportunity to test this new technology and help policy-makers in Richmond, City Hall and Whitehall understand whether it can play a safe and useful role in our country's transport mix."

What do you think of the trial? Will you be taking part? Let us know - we'd love to hear from our readers.