As a kind of shared transportation, electric scooters are not only small in size, energy-saving, easy to operate, but also faster than electric bicycles. They have a place on the streets of European cities and have been introduced to China within an extreme time. However, electric scooters are still controversial in many places. At present, China has not stipulated that electric scooters are public relations vehicles, and there are no special national or industry regulations, so they cannot be used on the road in most cities. So what is the situation in Western countries where electric scooters are popular? An example from Stockholm, the Swedish capital, shows how providers, infrastructure planners and city administrations are trying to secure the role of scooters in urban transport.
“There must be order in the streets. The time for chaos is over”. With these harsh words, Sweden’s infrastructure minister, Tomas Eneroth, proposed a new law this summer to re-regulate the operation and use of electric scooters. Since September 1, electric scooters have been banned not only from sidewalks in Swedish cities, but also from parking in the capital, Stockholm. Electric scooters can only be parked in specially designated areas; they are treated the same as bicycles in terms of road traffic. “These new rules will improve safety, especially for those walking on sidewalks,” Eneroth added in his statement.
Sweden’s push isn’t Europe’s first attempt to provide a legal framework for the increasingly popular electric motorcycles. Rome recently introduced strong speed regulations and reduced the number of operators. Paris also introduced GPS-controlled speed zones last summer. Authorities in Helsinki have banned the rental of electric scooters on certain nights after midnight after a series of accidents caused by drunk people. The trend in all regulatory attempts is always the same: the respective city administrations are trying to find ways to incorporate electric scooters into urban transport services without obscuring their advantages.
When Mobility Divides Society
“If you look at the surveys, electric scooters divide society: either you love them or you hate them. That’s what makes the situation in cities so difficult.” Johan Sundman. As project manager for the Stockholm Transport Agency, he tries to find a happy medium for operators, people and the city. “We see the good side of scooters. For example, they help to cover the last mile faster or reduce the burden on public transport. At the same time, there are also negative sides, such as vehicles being parked indiscriminately on sidewalks, or users don’t Follow the rules and speed in restricted traffic areas,” he continued.Stockholm is a prime example of a European city quickly establishing electric scooters. In 2018, there were 300 electric scooters in the capital of fewer than 1 million inhabitants, a number that skyrocketed after the summer. “In 2021, we had a whopping 24,000 rental scooters in downtown at peak times — those were unbearable times for politicians,” recalls Sundman. In the first round of regulations, the total number of scooters in the city was limited to 12,000 and the licensing process for operators was strengthened. This year, the scooter law came into effect in September. In Sundman’s view, such regulations are the right way to make scooters sustainable in the image of urban transport. “Even if they initially come with restrictions, they help to silence skeptical voices. In Stockholm today, there is less criticism and more positive feedback than two years ago.”
In fact, Voi has already taken several steps to deal with the new regulations. At the end of August, users learned about the upcoming changes via a special email. Additionally, new parking areas are graphically highlighted in the Voi app. With the “Find a parking space” function, a function to help find the nearest parking space for scooters is also implemented. Additionally, users are now required to upload a photo of their parked vehicle in the app to document the correct parking. “We want to improve mobility, not hinder it. With good parking infrastructure, e-scooters won’t be in anyone’s way, allowing pedestrians and other traffic to pass safely and smoothly,” the operator said.
Investment from cities?
German scooter rental company Tier Mobility thinks so too. The blue and turquoise Tier runabouts are now on the road in 540 cities in 33 countries, including Stockholm. “In many cities, restrictions on the number of electric scooters, or certain regulations on parking spaces and special usage fees, are being discussed or have already been implemented. In general, we favor the consideration of cities and municipalities, for example, in the future Possibility to start a selection process and award a license to one or more suppliers. The goal should be to select the best suppliers, thus ensuring the highest quality for the user and the best cooperation with the city,” said Director of Corporate Communications at Tier Florian Anders says
However, he also pointed out that such cooperation is needed by both parties. For example, in building and expanding much-needed infrastructure in a timely and comprehensive manner. “Micromobility can only be optimally integrated into the urban transport mix if there is a sufficient number of parking spaces for electric scooters, bicycles and cargo bikes, as well as well-developed cycle lanes,” he says. It is irrational to limit the number of electric scooters at the same time. “Following other European cities such as Paris, Oslo, Rome or London, the aim should be to issue licenses to suppliers with the highest standards and best quality during the selection process. In this way, not only a high level of safety and security can be maintained Continue to develop standards, but also ensure coverage and supply in peri-urban areas,” Anders said.
Shared mobility is a vision of the future
Regardless of regulations, various studies by cities and manufacturers have shown that e-scooters have a measurable positive impact on urban mobility. In Tier, for example, a recent “citizen research project” surveyed more than 8,000 people in different cities and found that an average of 17.3% of scooter trips replaced car trips. “Electric scooters are clearly a sustainable option in the urban transport mix that can help decarbonise urban transport by replacing cars and complementing public transport networks,” Anders said. He referred to a study by the International Transport Forum (ITF): Active mobility, micromobility and shared mobility will have to account for almost 60% of the urban transport mix by 2050 to improve the sustainability of the transport system.
At the same time, Johan Sundman of the Stockholm Transport Agency also believes that electric scooters can occupy a firm position in the future urban transportation mix. Currently, the city has between 25,000 and 50,000 scooters a day, with demand varying with weather conditions. “In our experience, half of them replace walking. However, the other half replace public transport trips or short taxi trips,” he said. He expects this market to become more mature in the coming years. “We’ve seen that companies are making a huge effort to work more closely with us. That’s also a good thing. At the end of the day, we all want to improve urban mobility as much as possible.”
Post time: Dec-16-2022