[ad_1]
Photo: Twitter Printscreen
Electric scooters could still be driven on the sidewalk, but with a speed limit of up to five miles per hour. This is the proposal of the working group of the Ministry of the Interior, which is in charge of the drafting of the Road Safety Law, which will also prescribe the driving of these two-wheeled vehicles. However, the profession is opposed to that proposal.
According to the latest information, there are currently more than 40,000 electric scooters in Serbia. On the other hand, Belgrade has around 650,000 cars and scooters have become the most popular alternative means of transport after public transport, which is positive, given the need to reduce air pollution in the capital. Furthermore, the EU’s mission is to make Europe the first zero-carbon continent by 2050.
Pravila
But, as the number of scooters increases, so does the need to introduce rules and the way they are used to protect all traffic participants, and therefore the drivers of these two-wheelers.
– The fact is that there are more and more electric scooters on the sidewalks and that many use these vehicles as alternative transport. They can also help reduce road congestion and air pollution. So far, we have not had serious accidents involving scooters. That is why we are thinking of prescribing in the new law that scooters continue to circulate on the sidewalk, but with a speed limit of six, seven or a maximum of eight kilometers per hour. That means they would practically walk at the speed of pedestrians, they say in the traffic police.
However, as they point out, it is still just a proposal that will still be discussed.
– There are scooters of different characteristics and speeds. The fastest scooter in the world reaches 90 kilometers per hour. We recently had a case of riding a scooter on the highway at 80 per hour. These are all facts that must be considered before the law is passed. Also, there are still questions about who will be able to drive which scooter and whether protective gear will be mandatory, the police emphasize.
The Road Safety Agency is not involved in the drafting of the new Safety Law, but they hope that a draft will be approved by the end of the year that will provide a legal framework for the use of scooters. As they say, until a new law is passed, they can only ask scooter drivers not to ride on the road, as well as to make the most of the bike and pedestrian-cyclist lanes, but also to watch their speed.
– We appeal not to move at a speed greater than 35 per hour on bike lanes and at a speed greater than 10 kilometers per hour on pedestrian-bicycle lanes. Where there are no trails, we ask that you walk on the sidewalks, but do not go faster than four miles per hour. Therefore, when moving on the sidewalk, there are no collisions, scooter drivers should be aware that pedestrians on the sidewalk do not expect, nor do they have reason to wait, for the movement of traffic participants, on the surface primarily intended for them, at a speed significantly greater than their speed. movements – they say in the Road Safety Agency. They add that scooter riders should wear vests and lights during times of reduced visibility.
Control
On the other hand, the director of the Road Safety Committee, Damir Okanović, believes that electric scooters have no place on the sidewalk.
– The question is, what is a scooter if a scooter has appeared on the market that goes 100 per hour? Is that a motorcycle? If we know that the difference between a moped and a motorcycle is that the moped does not have a speed greater than 45 per hour? On the other hand, it is not clear who will control scooter drivers and in what way, if they respect the speed limit of six, seven or eight kilometers per hour. How are you going to catch someone speeding if the scooters don’t have license plates? Why are we not a curbside bike by law and a scooter? These are all questions that need to be prescribed now because scooters are getting cheaper and faster on the market? It shouldn’t be that we now allow scooters on the sidewalk by law, and that after four years we change everything when everyone is used to driving that way – explains Okanović.
Cycling status
Zoran Bukvić from the association “Streets for cyclists” believes that scooters should obtain the status of cyclists.
– It is certainly not rational to abolish something that practically everyone practices. Scooters are a reality and there are already almost the same number of cyclists in Serbia. I believe that these people should have the same rights as cyclists by law, but of course their speed in pedestrian areas should be limited, because it is easier to accelerate on a scooter and brake harder than on a bicycle. Cyclists are also forbidden by law to ride on the sidewalk, but they tolerate us if we don’t run – Bukvić stresses for “Blic”.
As he says, it is difficult to imagine a scooter on the road of a busy highway.
– I don’t see a scooter driver on the six-lane boulevard road. I see more of them on the sidewalk or on the pavement of some quieter streets. With small wheels, scooters are less safe on the road than cyclists, Bukvić emphasizes.
In Germany, like bicycles, the British banned them
As soon as they appeared, electric scooters became popular all over the world, and different countries “struggled” with that “popularity” in different ways. Therefore, in Germany, scooters have the same rights as cyclists who ride on the busiest streets in major cities. In the Netherlands, the obligation has been introduced that scooters must be registered and have license plates, and that drivers must have a driving license for more than 16 years. Also, the speed of the scooter is limited to 25 per hour. In France, children under 12 years of age cannot drive scooters and we cannot ride this two-wheeled vehicle on the pavement, except in marked places. The UK has completely banned scooters from public transport, and Sweden also announced this due to a lack of infrastructure.
(Kurir.rs/Blic)
delivery courier
Author: delivery courier
[ad_2]
