travel | The Peacemaker Foundation

Thinking of buying an electric scooter or other transport tool? This is where you can numerically compare Personal Light Electric Vehicles‘ (PLEVs) based on your own specific needs. At the time of writing there is nothing like this anywhere else online. To understand how a decision matrix works see the 2 minute video below and then read on:

In the interactive self-adjusting decision matrix below, transport tools are shown in the left column and factors (considerations) are on the top row. For every factor you can enter a weighting (importance value) from 0 (totally unimportant) to 10 (essential). Just replace the default weighting of 5 with your own weighting (from 1 to 10). For example, if you feel ‘Portability’ is quite important you might give it a weighting of 7. If you feel ‘Top Speed’ is fairly unimportant you might give it a weighting of 2. For each factor (consideration) a transport tool already has an achievement score which is how well it performs in that factor area. The achievement score is based on OBJECTIVE data (see base of table for explanations). For example, the Urmo gets a low achievement score of 2.5 for the ‘Top speed’ factor because it’s fairly slow. The objective achievement score is multiplied by your subjective weighting to produce a weighting x achievement score. So for the Urmo in the ‘Top speed’ category it would be 2 (your weighting) x 2.5 (achievement score) = 5 (weighting x achievement score). The overall score for each gadget is the sum total of all weighting x achievement scores. The tool with the highest score is likely to be the most suitable based on your needs. The table will update automatically as you enter the importance values (weightings).

See below for a quick example video (the chart no longer works on the webpage as shown in the video so just use the buttons below to open it in Google Sheets or Excel):

📄 Make your own Google Sheets copy 💾 Download copy in Excel format

A STATIC (NON-INTERACTIVE) COMPARISON TABLE (LIGHTWEIGHT PORTABLE TRANSPORT TOOLS)

LPT Tools (An objective comparison chart) v75 Download

SAFETY UPDATE IN 2021 – MAKE SURE THE STEM IS LOCKED IN BEFORE RIDING! The main stem on my Kugoo S1 Pro once gave way while riding, I had already gone a couple of miles on it when it came loose. It’s possible that I didn’t click it in properly or it may have come loose while riding. The result was not pretty and I’ve only just gained use of my right hand & wrist again so am typing this. The handlebar is a major reason why scooters outperform the other gadgets in safety, but please do make sure you check the handlebar stem is fully locked in place before riding, avoid riding at speed over rough terrain or at least check the stem lock after doing so. Also buy a scooter with an effective stem lock! NOTE: The Kugoo S1, both E-TWOW scooters and the Micro Explorer all use the same basic frame with the same stem lock!

UPDATE 2025
Having used the tables above to buy and try various transport tools I have settled on using my Micro Falcon scooter for short distance last mile transport. It rolls beautifully in active mode and actively kicking it along helps pedestrians to feel more at ease although usually I get off and walk past oncoming pedestrians. In places where escooters are banned so far I have always used the excuse that it is a ‘hybrid’ and so far that has worked. It’s so small and portable that it’s just less of an issue and I believe this has fantastic potential as an urban transport tool. It’s out of production at present but I hope that Micro produce an upgraded version with a light, a softer front tire and deck (I add jelly mats and rubber to help cushion the ride).
Also The Urmo is not currently available and production plans have come to a halt. ‘Zoom’ company seems to be out of business now. Also various other scooters not included here have been highly rated on Electric Scooter Guide.com so check them out as well HERE if interested.

For scooter rental schemes

If you are looking here for a scooter to use in a rental scheme with a capped speed lower than all the top speeds of the scooters shown then you should enter ‘0’ as a weighting (importance value) for the speed factor. Likewise, you may wish to give ‘portability’ a lower weighting given that most users will dock their scooters rather than push or carry them around.

If you would like us to make a revised matrix with additional factors specific to your rental scheme or with other transport tools added just let us know – happy to help!

OLDER CONTENT SHOWN BELOW

We believe that we now need to embrace lightweight portable transport to help slow global warming, boost people’s well-being through cleaner air & maintaining a safe social distance.

To see mindmaps showing pros and cons of different transport gadgets click HERE

Some older gadgets – a comparison chart made in 2015

ELPT, Electric Lightweight Portable Transport Tools, Electric Mobility Devices

Download
PDF: Transportables
Word File: Transportables

Gadget names

I suggested ‘Transportables‘ (transport tools that are portable)
& also ‘Lightweight Portable Transport‘ (LPT).
Here are some competing names:
Personal transport gadgets (PTGs?)
Personal Light Electric Vehicles‘ (PLEVs) (the term used by the UK government),
‘Powered Transporters‘,
‘Rideables‘ (possibly from Wired magazine).

”EUCS” or ”electric unicycles” involve no cyling so it’s a misnomer. Much better to call them Electric self-balancing wheels, electric wheels or just ewheels. Another suggestion I saw was motor wheels.

Objective statistics

over

subjective opinions

Showing the value of active travel using data. Statistics refer to the UK unless mentioned otherwise.

Money & the economy

Public sector spending on roads in the United Kingdom has been over 12 billion British pounds each year since 2021.
sources: Statista and Office for National Statistics

In 2019 it was estimated that ‘‘It costs around £50 million per kilometre to build the average road.’’
source: https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/news/common-myths-about-investment-in-walking-and-cycling-busted-by-research-report/

Some costs today are even higher.
https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=43131

For an elevated road the cost is generally many times higher.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13924687

In 2017 the average cost of a two-way physically segregated cycle-superhighway ranged from £1.45 million per kilometre to around £740,000 per kilometre.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ba4c09ded915d2e2ea46815/typical-costings-for-ambitious-cycling-schemes.pdf

The cost of upkeep for bike lanes is far lower than for roads. https://www.bwbconsulting.com/insights/the-truth-about-cycle-lanes-investment-impact-and-public-perception/

This is because the vehicles using them are far lighter. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEngineers/comments/1auz38x/what_makes_walking_multiuse_paths_bike_paths_less/?rdt=60455

Driving cars costs society money, while cycling costs society far less and even saves society money when health is an included factor.

Examples shown below:

The Department for Transport (DfT) has found that for every £1 invested in cycling and walking, the economy benefits by up to £6. This is due to multiple factors, including reduced congestion, improved public health, and increased spending on local businesses. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-case-for-active-travel-the-health-benefits

Spending on walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure can have a maximum return of up to £19 per £1 spent. The health benefits associated with increased physical activity are a large contributor to these returns. Investments in the strategic road network have an average return of £2.50. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmtrans/1921/report.html

The best-case return can be up to £5. (https://www.sustrans.org.uk/media/5224/commonmisconceptions-of-active-travel-investment.pdf)

Some road building projects offer no return on investment at all.
https://ippr-org.files.svdcdn.com/production/Downloads/Stride_and_ride_Feb24_2024-02-05-162030_godi.pdf

Cycle infrastructure has a strong return on investment, with an average of £5.62 for every £1 spent. This means that a £2 billion investment would deliver £11 billion in public benefit on average, although this could be as high as £38 billion. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7dd183ed915d2acb6ee528/claiming_ the_health_dividend.pdf

According to a European study looking at a range of societal impacts, such as land use and cost pollution, as well as individual impacts, such as health benefits and travel time, driving a car was found to have a cost to society of €0.11 per kilometre (or 9 pence per mile). By contrast, cycling generated a €0.18 net benefit to society for every kilometre cycled (or 15 pence per mile), primarily due to the health benefits of physical activity and walking was found to generate the greatest net benefit to society. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.12.016

Another earlier study by two of the same authors (Stefan Gössling and Andy Choi) calculated that one kilometre by car costs €0.15 (13 pence), whereas society earns €0.16 (14 pence) on every kilometre cycled.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.03.006

Building more roads and car lanes to improve traffic flow only works temporarily, in the long term it usually increases car traffic.
https://doi.org/10.7922/G22805Z9

Likewise building more high-quality bike lanes increases the number of cyclists
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/research/common-misconceptions-about-active-travel-investment/

A three-metre wide lane can move 700 to 1,100 people per hour in cars, but if used by people cycling or walking, that increases to 2,000 to 6,500.
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/research/common-misconceptions-about-active-travel-investment/

Over time, giving more road space to bicycles and pedestrians does not make car traffic worse. In fact it often improves it.
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/research/common-misconceptions-about-active-travel-investment/

Shopkeepers are often concerned about loss of business if bike lanes are built by their shops, but most research shows that business generally increases substantially.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/six-reasons-build-cycle-lanes

Sutton Coldfield, a large town north of Birmingham, has a population of nearly 100,000 and yet has no segregated cycle lanes. The local government installed one at a cost of £75,000, but following an outcry by local ‘motorists’ and Conservatives it was removed before it even had the chance to open. The removal meant even more expense. Many locals, likely some of the same people who complained, then said what a waste of money it was to build a bike lane and then never use it!
https://suttoncoldfieldtowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/email-response.pdf

Health

By reducing car traffic, the health and longevity of the people who live and work in the area increases owing to increased active travel¹ and reduced pollution² ¹https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BqGRWsN17qZNbvuqrMARql1QYu3_M7Rd/view?pli=1

²https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2021-10/Waltham%20Forest%20Kings%20Report.pdf

Pollution claims far more lives each year than traffic accidents. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6570a68b7469300012488948/HECC-report-2023-chapter-4-outdoor-air-quality.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Just in Birmingham it claims up to 900 each year. https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20076/pollution/1278/air_pollution_affecting_me_and_my_family

Every minute, an idling car produces enough exhaust to fill up to 150 balloons with harmful chemicals, including cyanide, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and tiny particulates called PM2. 5. An idling engine produces 20 times more pollution than a car travelling at 32mph.
https://www.solihull.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/vehicle-idling#:~:text=Idling%20facts,a%20car%20travelling%20at%2032mph.

The total NHS and social care cost due to PM2.5 and NO2 combined in 2017 was estimated to be between £42.88 million and £157 million.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/708855/Estimation_of_costs_to_the_NHS_and_social_care_due_to_the_health_impacts_of_air_pollution_-_summary_report.pdf

A team from the Netherlands’ Utrecht University surveyed 50,000 Dutch people, examining their mobility patterns. They found that one hour of cycling adds one hour to your life on average.
https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302724

According to research, on average every year, walking and cycling in Birmingham, UK results in about:

1,438 serious long-term health conditions prevented:
£454.5 million in economic benefit for individuals and the region:
37,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions saved:
Up to 220,000 cars taken off the road every day.

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/the-walking-and-cycling-index/birmingham-walking-and-cycling-index/

Lots more information here:

Click to access west-midlands-walking-and-cycling-index-2021.pdf

Click to access birmingham-walking-and-cycling-index-2023.pdf

Author’s conclusion
The evidence clearly shows that well designed projects in the right places that allow for more cycling and active travel can benefit physical, mental, environmental and financial well being. Stopping such projects claiming that they are a waste of tax payers’ money and so on, is untrue and highly unhelpful. Our obsession with cars is fuelling the problem.

Do you agree?

Look at the quotes and pictures below. What are they trying to say and how do you feel?

“Either you’re part of the problem or you’re part of the solution.”
(a saying based on an original quote by Harry Emerson Fosdick)