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– The proposal was sent to the Urban Environment Agency on April 27. The proposals are inspired by what we have done in many other markets. We wanted some action taken as we anticipated what happened this summer. Entering into a dialogue to self-regulate the market in anticipation of more regulations was one way to do it, says Voi CEO Christina Moe Gjerde.
In the electric scooter players’ proposal, the industry itself proposed a series of austerity measures that they thought would prevent the chaos that Oslo experienced this summer.
Will tighten regulations
Back from the municipality, they wanted parking areas and closer cooperation:
- The industry asked the municipality to identify the areas where the speed of electric scooters is limited to walking speed (6 km / h).
- The industry wanted to cooperate with the municipality in creating parking areas where the density is high, so that electric scooters cannot be parked elsewhere.
- The industry proposed limiting the number of electric scooters in high-density areas.
At the same time, the industry would commit to an agreement with the municipality to remove improperly parked electric scooters within 24 hours, possibly faster if the electric scooter creates a safety problem or obstructs traffic.
Agreement in the drawer
But the proposed regulation was never signed by the city of Oslo.
– The agreement was never signed. I place this responsibility on politicians, who I believe have not given the Urban Environment Agency sufficiently clear guidelines and mandate. Some of us have followed up on the principles that we agreed on in the letter of intent, which has had an effect on self-regulation. But not close enough, as we have seen this summer, says Gjerde en Voi.
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Gjerde points out that it is difficult for one player to implement all the points without several committing to the same rules.
The Councilor for the Transport Agency, Lan Marie Berg (ODM), is the director of the Urban Environment Agency. When asked by Dagbladet what specifically the city council has done to reach an agreement with the actors, Berg responds as follows:
– We want a more binding cooperation agreement with the players. The Urban Environment Agency has met several times with the actors and has asked their opinion for an agreement in March. The agency has also asked players for a series of measures, such as better cleaning of abandoned bikes, and I have called for night closings to prevent drunk drivers and serious accidents, Berg writes in an email.
– Open door
This is not valid for the opposition in Oslo, which reacts strongly to the fact that the municipality never followed the proposed agreement.
– This means that Raymond Johansen (Labor Party) has had an open door to regulate the industry since this spring, which he has not used. If it had reached an agreement with the industry, and they had signed a joint agreement, it would not have needed state regulations, and the municipality would have had access to enforce the points of the agreement, without them being authorized by law, says Marit Vea in the Party Liberal.
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Nicolai Øyen Langfeldt joins her in the Conservative Party:
– The City Council should send the telephone number to the companies that sent this letter as soon as possible and make sure to follow up on the proposals. They can control many things electronically, from controlling speed to the streets they can drive on. The situation we have now is of no use to anyone. I think we can find good solutions together with companies.
Lan: I would like an agreement
Both Voi and the industry itself, as well as the opposition, believe that much of the chaos this summer could have been avoided with a deal as early as May.
– Voi and other actors have the opportunity to present several of the measures that they themselves have already proposed. We would like to have an agreement, but as a municipality we have to ensure that the measures are feasible and for the benefit of the entire city, Lan Marie Berg writes in an email.
Voi’s manager Gjerde admits that the industry itself has a responsibility to clean up, but believes that a binding agreement with the municipality would be crucial to clean up the industry.
– It is a political responsibility to establish regulations and reserve a parking space for something that the people of Oslo want to use. In addition, the user has the responsibility to park correctly. So we have a responsibility to operate and produce in a way that is sustainable. Much of the industry has now also launched street patrols to eliminate electric scooters that get in the way, Gjerde says.
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