E-scooter parking rollout causes mayhem to locals - ‘Why have the council done this?’

However, the new parking measure was not approved by one shop owner who warned that it is driving away customers.

Ashish Gajjar, owner of Spar convenience store, said the parking bays have made it difficult for customers to access the store and are now forced to go elsewhere.

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He told the Daily Echo: “The available parking for cars is already extremely limited and the council have taken up valuable space with a bay that will hardly be used.

“So many [customers] have come to me and said 'why, why have the council done this?'”

Gajjar continued that even the bin trucks can’t get down Claremont Crescent, where the shop is located due to the parking bays blocking the street.

He said: “Additionally, when I receive deliveries, the lorry blocks the road completely, causing a significant inconvenience with no solution for the delivery vehicle to park and unload.

“The last few weeks I have noticed a big difference in our takings - I have even seen people say 'I won’t go there anymore it's too hard to park' on Facebook.”

Posting on Facebook, one customer said he uses the shop regularly and was very “bewildered” when he saw the parking bays adding that it is “totally pointless”.

Meanwhile, someone else shared: “E-scooter uses are a menace. They speed past pedestrians with no consideration and leave them strewn over the pavements for people to trip over.

“They are a hazard for the blind and visually impaired we don't see them coming and can't hear them coming and then they're left on the pavements for the blind and visually impaired to trip over.”

The use of e-scooters in the city has been around since 2021 when the council began to trail the rental of motor vehicles.

The council said at the time the trial was an opportunity to provide “safe transport alternatives” while improving air quality by using environmentally friendly travel options.

To use an e-scooter drivers need to have a full or provisional driving licence that has category Q entitlement.

This allows them to drive two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles without pedals, drivers also need to be 18 or over to rent them.

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Southampton City Council has reportedly told Gajjar that the parking bays will be monitored over the next two months to see if they are causing a hazard.

But Gajjar warned that two months is too long “to have to wait for the council to make a decision and if they decide to rip it up its public money wasted”.

GB News has contacted Southampton City Council for a comment.