It is not uncommon to see motorists leave the car in the parking lots of the big cities, take the scooter out of the luggage compartment and go to work. After the arrival of the new coronavirus pandemic that prompted to look for individual means of transport to avoid contagions and the barrage of government incentives (60% discount on the purchase price, for a maximum bonus value of 500 euros ), scooters have taken root as green mobility in small and large cities, so much so that they have changed the face of the country’s sharing mobility. «Cities cannot be transformed into dangerous playgrounds, at the mercy of the far west of scooters. The phenomenon has been underestimated for too long, ”said Elena Maccanti (Lega), rapporteur of the bill that wants to change the rules of use of scooters, and Giuseppe Donina, rapporteur of the reform law on the Highway Code (Lega).
One in three shared vehicles is a scooter
The National Observatory on Sharing Mobility has announced that “one in three shared vehicles is a scooter”. Sharing services are producing “unprecedented numbers precisely in the year of the pandemic, and in 12 months it becomes number one in our country (even the most present in the cities of the South)”. Too many are unruly, so much so that they are often seen darting through city streets, swooping down on sidewalks or pedestrian areas without paying too much attention to pedestrians, strollers and small children. An impressive number of scooters circulate in the cities, certainly with beneficial effects on pollution. But the excessive casualness of some and the numerous accidents, even fatal ones, have pushed the Parliament to put its hand to the rules, identifying a tighter regulation.
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The squeeze in the Transport Committee of the Chamber
As already anticipated by Il Sole 24 Ore, on 15 April 2021 in the Chamber of Deputies the examination of the bill with “Provisions on the circulation of mainly electric powered scooters” began in the Transport Committee. The first signatory is the Forza Italia deputy Roberto Rosso (who asked for an urgent examination in committee), rapporteur Elena Maccanti of the League. A measure that aims to address the critical issues related to the circulation of electric scooters in cities. “I hope that it will be possible to overcome the barriers that have so far divided supporters and detractors of scooters, coming to elaborate a provision that protects the users of these vehicles and other subjects circulating on the roads in the same way”, stressed the rapporteur Elena Maccanti in commission. Deputy Roberto Rosso recalled how the mayors of many cities have often introduced conflicting rules: in Florence, for example, the use of a helmet is mandatory. “Faced with such a disorderly situation – explained Rosso – Parliament is obliged to re-appropriate the matter with a unitary spirit, through the proposed law under examination, which is a starting point on which there is the maximum availability to accept changes “. The aim is to give a certain framework to the circulation of scooters, in safety.
Prohibition to minors and new speed limits
The provision provides for autonomous legislation to regulate the circulation of mainly electric propulsion scooters, repealing the current provisions in force (paragraphs 75 to 75-septies of article 1 of law 160/2019). Among the new rules, contained in eight articles, comes, first of all, the prohibition of use for minors. Prohibition that sounds a bit like a contradiction if you consider that at the age of 14 you can drive a moped and that until now the use of the scooter was allowed from the age of 14 onwards. Then the introduction of the speed limit of 20 kilometers per hour on cycle paths and 30 kilometers per hour on urban roads. In pedestrian areas up to 6 km per hour.
Off-limits sidewalks, helmet, vest or self-reflecting braces
The sidewalk becomes off limits: there the scooters must be carried only by hand. And no more wild stop. In addition to the helmet, you are asked to wear a high visibility reflective vest or shoulder straps. The provision also introduces the definition of electric scooters, indicating the requirements for admission to circulation, from the absence of seats to the electric motor with a continuous rated power not exceeding 0.50 kilowatts. Then the buzzer, the speed regulator, the Ce marking. E prohibits the circulation of motor scooters with different requirements, indicating a specific administrative sanction from 100 to 400 euros for those who do not respect the rules. The violation, the text reads, also results in the ancillary administrative sanction of the confiscation of the scooter, if the scooter has a heat engine or an electric motor with a continuous rated power greater than 2 kW.