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DRIVING

‘Almost half’ of Germans in favour of ban on e-scooters

Controversially seen speeding down the pavement in big German cities: a new study confirmed that E-scooters don't have the best reputation. Could they face a full ban?

Published: 14 September 2023 10:45 CEST
E-scooters
E-scooters stand in a special parking area in Berlin. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Britta Pedersen

According to a YouGov survey commissioned by the German Press Agency (DPA), only 37 percent of people in Germany want e-scooter rentals to remain allowed in German cities, while a further 44 percent were in favour of a full-on ban. Nineteen percent declined to give an opinion.

Most of the respondents (71 percent) said they’d never tested out an e-scooter themselves while 12 percent only had once.

The controversial scooters, available to rent in most German cities to anyone over the age of 14, don’t require a special license to operate.

Since 2020, accidents involving their use have increased fivefold, leading police and safety organisations to call for a crackdown on how they’re used.

READ ALSO: Could Germany ban e-scooters following rise in accidents?

This could explain why an additional 61 percent of those surveyed think that road safety has worsened since e-scooters were approved for use on German roads in 2019.

An additional 76 percent of respondents also think that e-scooters should be parked in specially designated parking spaces. Thirteen percent were in favour of the roadside and twelve percent of the pavement as a Stellplatz, or parking place.

The representative survey, which took place between September 2nd to 4th, had a total of 2,004 participants over the age of 18.

Parked e-scooters in Stuttgart. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Schmidt

Concerns over safety

Even in cities such as Stuttgart and Berlin, which have specially designated areas to park E-scooters, the vehicles often end up scattered on sidewalks – with consequences.

“Older people have massive problems, and more often falls occur due to incorrectly parked E-scooters,” Jens-Peter Kruse from the Federal Association of Senior Citizens’ Organisations told DPA.

“In some cases, the e-scooters have been parked in such a way that it is downright provocative – across the cycle path, across the footpath,” Kruse added. 

“This is a very big danger for people with impaired vision, but also for all people who use this cycle path in the dark.”

The German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired has filed lawsuits in Bremen, Münster and Berlin “to enforce fixed parking spaces on pavements,” deputy executive director Christiane Möller told DPA.

“There have been many accidents involving blind and visually impaired people and some no longer dare to go out on the street alone because of the fear of falling over scooters lying around. This is no longer acceptable.” 

In 2022 there were a total of 442 road accidents, up from 282 in 2021, according to Germany’s Statistical Office.

In 69.7 percent of the cases, the e-scooter drivers themselves were found to have caused the accidents.

Yet in places where authorities have worked to organise the street, “the situation has improved, at least in the inner city area”, Möller said.

Kruse from the Federal Working Group of Senior Citizens’ Organisations also called for fixed parking areas: “We must limit this uncontrolled growth immediately.” 

The Association of Towns and Municipalities considers these “a promising way, especially in dense inner city areas”. 

The control of parked vehicles without these parking zones is “only feasible with a lot of effort”.

However, according to the experts, only the e-scooters of rental companies are affected. Owners would treat their own vehicles with more care, and park them correctly.

This anger over rentable e-scooters already led to their ban in Paris: There, the rental business ended as of September 2022, after 89 percent of those involved opposed it in a citizens’ survey. 

But the Federal Working Group of Senior Citizens’ Organisations and the Association of Towns and Municipalities (DStGB) do not see a ban as a solution.

“The municipalities in Germany are not seeking a legal ban on e-scooters,” says the DStGB. “Something like this should only ever be a last resort. The focus should be on local solutions such as getting the vehicles insured and registered, and possibly requiring special licenses for those who drive them.”

According to the German Insurance Association (GDV), 764,000 e-scooters were registered in 2022.

Germany is currently the world’s second-largest market for e-scooter rental after the US. The vehicles can travel at speeds of up to 20 kilometres per hour.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: The rules for riding an e-scooter in Germany

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DRIVING

EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

The EU has agreed to extend the number of driving offences for which motorists from other member states can be fined for and to make it easier for authorities to chase up the fines and make foreign drivers pay.

Published: 13 May 2024 17:28 CEST
EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

In the last voting session of this term, in April, the European Parliament passed new rules to ensure drivers who breach local traffic rules in another EU member state are found and fined.

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. The European Commission estimated that in 2008, foreign drivers accounted for about 5 percent of road traffic in the EU but committed around 15 percent of speeding offences.

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

In March 2023, the Commission therefore proposed updating existing measures.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

The European Parliament and Council agreed in March on the final text of the directive, which is now being formally approved by the two institutions.

André Sobczak, Secretary-General at Eurocities, a group representing European cities in Brussels, said: “While the final outcome of the discussions is not ideal, we are pleased that EU policymakers have at least put the issue of the enforcement of local traffic rules on foreign vehicles on the table. As we approach an election year, I believe such a practical example can demonstrate why a European approach is necessary to address local issues.”

Which traffic offences are covered?

The previous directive covered eight driving misconducts that would require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving.

The Commission proposed to add to the list not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), and using an overloaded vehicle.

The Parliament and Council agreed to these and added more offences: not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

Despite calls from European cities, the new directive does not cover offences related to foreign drivers avoiding congestion charges or low emission zones. In such cases, information about vehicle registration can only be shared among countries with bilateral agreements.

Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General at POLIS, a network of cities and regions working on urban transport, called on the next European Commission to take other local traffic offences, such as breaches of low emission zones, “fully at heart”.

Collaboration among national authorities

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. The new directive further clarifies how.

Member states will have to use the European vehicle and driving licence information system (Eucaris) to get the data of the offender.

National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. However, they will not have to resort to agencies or private entities to collect the fine. This was requested by the European Parliament to avoid scams or leaks of personal data.

Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

The person concerned will be able to request follow-up documents in a different official EU language.

When will the new rules will be enforced?

Now that the EU Parliament has passed the law, the EU Council has to do the same, although there is no date set for when that will happen. Once the directive is adopted, EU countries will have 30 months to prepare for implementation.

Last year the Commission also proposed a new directive on driving licenses, but negotiations on the final text of this file will only take place after the European elections.

This article has been produced in collaboration with Europe Street news.

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