Sweden needs no more e-scooters, the new government said. The Cabinet wants to ban the parking of electric scooters on pavements and bicycle lanes unless there are designated parking spaces. If approved, the bill would come into force on August 1st, according to The Local Sweden.
The scooters’ popularity has not come without side effects, while the complaints have been raised about these transport devices. In Sweden, e-scooters strewn across pavements – an eyesore as well as an obstacle for wheelchair users or parents with baby strollers – and an increase in accidents as their use has grown.
Sweden’s government said it hoped that the new bill would reduce the impact electric scooters have on traffic, while making sure that they can still exist alongside other forms of transport.
“It’s about giving municipalities a few more muscles on top of those which already exist, in order to make sure that electric scooters exist as a good complement, but there should be order,” infrastructure minister Tomas Eneroth said.
The bill would make it easier for municipalities to move scooters parked incorrectly and enable them to charge scooter companies a fine for the service.
In 2019, the capittal city Stockholm was getting too crowded with e-scooters. Many meant this in a dual sense: more and more e-scooter businesses filling up pavements as well as the business market.
In other words, these companies need to get it together – they’ve established themselves often on the back of aggressive marketing, in a way which has caused great concern. These e-scooter firms need to understand that they have a responsibility, otherwise there’s an obvious risk that stricter rules or bans will be on the agenda, and I don’t want that. I don’t think they want that either.
Eneroth, while also noting their positive qualities, has previously described the lack of regulations and heaps of toppled-over scooters as “a mess”.
