After the vote against rental scooters in Paris, police officers are in favor of stricter rules in Germany. “From our point of view, effective options for more security must be examined, including higher fines, intensified instructions or a ban on alcohol,” said the Vice Chairman of the Police Union (GdP), Michael Mertens, the editorial network Germany (RND). The distributors would have to contribute to more road safety.
One problem is the high speed of the scooters: “E-scooters are too fast,” he warned. At 20 kilometers per hour, an accident could have “serious consequences”. “One partial success would be to reduce the speed of the scooters to 15 km/h,” says Mertens. The problems are also similar nationwide. “The points of criticism are almost the same everywhere: the parking and parking situation on the one hand and the feeling of freedom on the scooters, which can lead to a lack of care for road safety issues,” Mertens told RND.
Designated storage areas a possibility
However, a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Transport referred to the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post” on the responsibility of the federal states: “Whether and where e-scooters, which are offered for rental regardless of location, may be parked in public spaces is the sole responsibility of the federal states.” The competent authorities of the federal states are entitled to only allow rental companies to offer sharing small electric vehicles under certain conditions. This could be designated parking areas, for example.
In a poll in Paris on Sunday, a vast majority of 89 percent voted against rental scooters. The city wants to ban the rental of e-scooters by September.
“Clear rules of the game” demanded
On Monday, the German Association of Cities spoke out against a ban but in favor of “clear rules of the game”. The federal states should “give all cities the opportunity to request a special use permit for e-scooters in public spaces,” said Deputy General Manager Verena Göppert. Then the cities could choose which providers are allowed to rent out their scooters and according to which rules.
In addition, the federal government is asked to adapt the road traffic regulations and the regulation for small electric vehicles, because it must be clear “where and how many scooters can be parked”. The approval of so-called geofencing would also automatically reduce the speed of the scooters in areas such as pedestrian zones.
