If you’ve walked through Redhill town centre recently (though the problem can certainly be seen in other areas too) you’ve probably noticed the stream of mopeds weaving between cars and speeding along pavements to deliver takeaway food. Many residents have contacted me with concerns about safety, near misses and reckless or antisocial behaviour.
The root of the problem is that a significant number of these riders don’t hold a full driving licence - and the law currently allows this. Shockingly, under current rules, moped riders can undertake commercial delivery work, even if they only have a provisional licence, just so long as they’ve completed Compulsory Basic Training (CBT). This means they’ve not passed a full driving test, nor have they had to sit a theory exam. It’s a huge loophole that’s putting pedestrians, cyclists - and indeed the riders themselves - at serious risk. We wouldn’t allow our bus drivers or taxi drivers to operate without a full driving license, so why do we allow it for food delivery?
With the Crime and Policing Bill currently going through Parliament I felt I had a chance to act. I therefore proposed a change in the law which would give the Police rights to seize mopeds being used for commercial purposes by provisional licence holders.
Unfortunately, the Government chose not to support it, which is a great shame. The current situation is confusing - for riders, for employers, and for the police. Leaving the loophole in place helps no one and only leads to more of the sort of scenes Redhill residents will be all too familiar with. I made clear in my proposal that this change would not stop ordinary learners from using mopeds nor would it prevent people earning a living once fully licensed.
The Government did point to the role played by road safety campaigns like Transport for London’s delivery rider charter - and I welcome any step companies take to improve training - but voluntary codes are no substitute for proper legal safeguards and standards.
So where are we now? Well, I certainly won’t let the issue drop - and am proud to have raised in Parliament something that I know matters to so many of my constituents. I will continue pressing ministers and if in the future another opportunity comes to try and amend the law, I won’t hesitate! Because residents deserve safe streets, and no one - pedestrian, driver or rider - should be put at risk by a system that fails to set and enforce even the most basic of standards.
