‘Stupid’ rider spotted on e-scooter on Glasgow’s M8 Kingston Bridge

A person appears to have been spotted riding an electric scooter over Scotland’s busiest motorway.

Shortly before 7pm on Tuesday night, dashcam footage caught a figure on an e-scooter zooming across lanes on the M8 Kingston Bridge – one of the busiest bridges in Europe.

“How stupid could you be?” an eyewitness asked STV News.

The rider, who is wearing dark clothing and a parka-style jacket, appears to have been travelling westbound on the section of the motorway that passes through Charing Cross.

They then would have travelled up the incline onto the Kingston Bridge where they then cut across multiple lanes as if to take the exit at Junction 20 towards East Kilbride and City Centre (South).

“[I was] driving onto the Kingston Bridge and noticed the e-scooter riding in front of me, it was doing about 40mph, maybe even 45mph,” the eyewitness said.

“No protective equipment on, no helmet. [The] rider was in and out of the traffic and disappeared down the off-ramp onto West Street.”

E-scooters are not permitted on public roads and pavements and can only be used on private land with the owner’s consent.

Police Scotland has been approached for comment.

It comes after it was revealed that more than 1,000 e-bikes and e-scooters have been seized across Scotland so far this year.

Police say the vehicles are becoming more common in towns and cities, with some modified to exceed speed and power limits, which can reclassify them under motorcycle legislation.

In 2025, the force seized 373 e-bikes and 196 e-scooters – an increase of 60% on the previous year.

Police Scotland said it has received a number of reports of anti-social behaviour involving the misuse of e-bikes and e-scooters.

‘Growing concerns’ over e-bike misuse

This week, officers from road policing and local divisions began carrying out targeted activity across the country under Operation Overlap.

Superintendent Andy Barclay, deputy head of road policing, said: “We know from reports made to us that concern about the misuse of e-bikes and e-scooters is a growing issue across Scotland.

“We want to be clear that illegally modified e-bikes are dangerous and not suitable for the public road. They pose a risk to their own riders and other road users, particularly pedestrians.

“This week of activity will focus on removing these vehicles from the roads and I want to be clear that anyone found riding a non-compliant e-bike or e-scooter on a public road will faces the risk of having it seized by officers and destroyed.

“We also want to make sure that people are aware of the legislation and their personal responsibilities if using an e-bike or e-scooter.

“Please be mindful of where you can and can’t use vehicles of this type and take responsibility for your own actions and the safety of other road users.”

While e-bikes can legally be used on public roads, they must meet specific requirements and must not be able to propel the bike when travelling at more than 15.5mph.

They must also have a maximum power output of 250 watts.

E-scooters are not permitted on public roads and pavements and can only be used on private land with the owner’s consent.