The Russian parliament has proposed removing electric scooters from city streets, leaving them only in parks and private villages. This initiative was taken by the head of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Andrey Klishas, informed CASS. Russian media tells how Russia is preparing to limit this type of transport.
“In my opinion, electric scooters should not be used on city streets. Too many incidents involving them. I think you can only leave them in parks where there are specially designated paths for these devices, or in private villages where the owners have accepted the possibility of using electric scooters,” Klishas said.
The senator’s idea was supported by a member of the Human Rights Council (HRC), chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, Kirill Kabanov. However, the ban on electric scooters in the city is, according to him, utopian.
“This proposal is utopian because specific officials and the companies under their control receive billions of dollars in super-revenues from these same SIMs (means of individual mobility. – Approx. Russian media), first of all, electric scooters. And they don’t care at all how many more people, including children, will die or become disabled. The same Ministry of Transport is cynically waiting for the statistics of this season to draw new conclusions”, writing he is in his telegram channel.
The initiative to ban electric scooters in Russian cities was also supported by the Investigative Committee (IC). The head of the department, Alexander Bastrykin, suggested considering the issue of reducing the maximum possible speed of such scooters by the companies themselves renting the devices. He explained the need for this by the injuries associated with electric scooters, including in parks.
“For this, with the participation of the traffic police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, it is necessary to conduct appropriate studies that will allow setting a speed limit at which the person riding the scooter will have enough time to make a decision to stop, and in the event of a fall or collision with other people, there will be no injuries. said in the SC statement.
In 2022, there were 941 accidents involving electric scooters and other RIMs in Russia, 40% more than in 2021. As a result, 19 people died, including two children under the age of 16, 976 people were injured. The Scientific Center for Road Safety of Russia’s Interior Ministry noted in 2022 that the country’s road network was generally not ready for the movement of citizens on electric scooters and other SIM cards.
As they are already trying to limit e-scooters
In March 2023, amendments to the Highway Code entered into force, which regulate the circulation of electric scooters, unicycles and hover scooters. This electric transport has been granted the status of “means of individual mobility”. The new traffic rules limited the maximum permitted speed of the SIM to 25 km/h, and also required owners to ensure the presence of dipped beam and daytime running lights.
Also, according to the new rules, electric scooters weighing more than 35 kg are not allowed to drive on sidewalks and bike paths, they must ride on the roadway. At the same time, the driver of the electric scooter must be over 14 years old and it is necessary to move on the right side of the road and only in areas where cyclists are allowed and the maximum speed does not exceed 60 km. /h.
Additionally, the changes allow children between the ages of seven and 14 to ride e-scooters, but only on walking or biking trails, and children under the age of seven can only ride e-scooters under parental supervision.
State Duma deputy Yaroslav Nilov noted the shortcomings of the March amendments to the traffic rules. In his opinion, the responsibility for breaking the rules should be greater for the Russians to be really more careful.
“Personal mobility aids still don’t have numbers, and their drivers don’t need to be licensed or register the equipment anywhere. In other words, in theory, only offenders who have rented the same electric scooters can be identified. What about everyone else? Will the neural network chase them away? Not the traffic police obviously – there is enough work with a shortage of employees”, – writing he is in his telegram channel.
In May, State Duma deputy Dmitry Gusev Free prohibit children under the age of 16 from using electric scooters. For example, in his opinion, you can take the rules for using scooters, cars and other vehicles that children under the age of 16 cannot drive alone.
“It seems to me that these are the right conditions, because they (electric scooters) are the same source of increased danger as cars and scooters. With scooters we had the same thing, at the beginning everyone could use them without a license, without a helmet to ride, and now the same rules as on all vehicles. And that’s normal, “he said in an interview with the Moscow agency.
In April, State Duma Deputy Sultan Khamzaev address to the Ministry of Transport of Russia with a request to ban the rental of electric scooters to Russians who had an administrative sanction for drunk driving. He pointed out that the punishment for drunk driving electric scooters is no longer sufficient and the number of accidents involving these devices is increasing.
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