Laurence Dollimore
MALAGA has revealed it is effectively banning the use of rental scooters from October.
From next month, new regulations will stipulate that electric scooters can only be used in bike lanes and on the roads with other vehicles.
They can currently be used on pavements and pedestrian areas as long as they keep to 10km/hr.
That will change next month, when they will be classed as vehicles, however they will be permitted to travel up to 30km/hr. This means that almost all the top-selling e-scooters will be allowed as most of them top out around 25km/hr.
It means they will be banned from pedestrian areas, promenades and the historical centre of the city.
“Somehow we have to protect the pedestrians,” said councillor Jose del Rio, “now you are walking and you have to look back just in case one comes, and that just cannot be in places where people walk.”
The eight companies which currently own the roughly 2,000 scooters in the city, will also be required to collect their vehicles within 20 minutes of being left by users.
There are 29 approved parking zones for the scooters.
They will also be required to have headquarters in the city so customers can address grievances.
About time measures were taken regarding the silent assassins. Recently in Valencia, where these things are everywhere, we were constantly looking over our shoulders and moving aside to avoid them. They are really only suitable for bike lanes, one can imagine the human road-kill if used in traffic. Get an electric bike and stop playing with toys folks!