Joining celebrity motorcyclists across the city, the 4th Emergency Service have announced they are to trial a fleet of electric scooters and motorbikes, in a bid to beat the traffic, and reach our capital’s ailing motorists faster.

A response to the findings of a city motorists’ average speed league table, compiled by someone at the AA’s HQ with a whole lot of time on their hands, everyone’s favourite yellow-clad breakdown warriors estimate that the nimble two wheelers will enable them to reach Central London’s breakdowns up to 25% quicker than the humble four. AA president Edmund King believes that slaloming through traffic will not only cut vehicle recovery waiting times but ease the jams they cause:

On busy city roads, one flat tyre can delay thousands of motorists and further aggravate congestion. By cutting through traffic, AA bike patrols will reach breakdowns more quickly and get our members and other drivers back on the move with the minimum delay.

Well, at least those who don't require anything more complicated than a jump start or wheel change.

Surprisingly not rooted to the bottom of the table, London is only the country’s second slowest city to drive through, the average speed of traffic being a whopping 0.1 mph faster than Bristol’s turgid 16.8mph logjam. Depressingly for commuters across the land, it seems London’s gridlock malaise has spread to the UK’s other cities, with Glasgow, Southampton and Liverpool all within a 1mph faster average motoring speed.

The three-month trial is then hoped to be extended nationwide.

By Noel Titheradge

Image courtesy of the AA.