With the beginning of spring, the season of electric scooters has also arrived, and the Tallinn City Council is discussing the restrictions applicable to rental vehicles with representatives of the police and rental companies, mainly Bolt and Tuul, writes ERR News.
The municipality wants to set a lower speed limit for rental vehicles (currently 25 kilometers per hour), while the police representatives are worried about the increasing number of accidents – last year 352 accidents involving electric scooters were reported. Tanel Kiik, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn responsible for transport, that the current speed limit should be maintained only in certain suitable places on the outskirts of the city (for example, on bicycle paths).
Keeks will work in the new convocation of the Estonian Parliament, which means that he will leave his current position in the Tallinn City Council. He told the television program Aktuaalne kaamera: «If it were up to me, at Riigikogu or at governmental level, I think that
the speed limit for light vehicles should be cut to 20 kilometers per hour on all roads
within a settlement, especially in larger cities – even lower in some areas.»
The head of the traffic monitoring department, Taavi Kirs, said that the issue is being considered because of the significant increase in the number of accidents involving electric scooters. Drunk driving is also a major factor in accidents, and potholes and poor pavements also cause their share of problems.
One of the largest e-scooter rental companies, Bolt, has announced that it has taken steps to increase safety. For example, electric scooters are programmed to automatically slow down near schools. Bolt also moves scooters if they are improperly positioned, such as blocking the sidewalk. Bolt spokesman Herni Arras said the restrictions are likely to be in place for a period of time until driving conditions in cities improve.
Restrictions apply to shared electric scooters. Although the speed limit for private electric scooters is also 25 kilometers per hour, they are usually significantly more powerful than the vehicles available for hire. Similar discussions about the restrictions applicable to electric scooters are also currently taking place in Latvia, Lithuania and Finland.
Read also: Paris to ban shared electric scooters from city streets