Parisians voted by a large majority to oppose public e-scooter rentals in the French capital. Of around 1.4 million eligible voters, 103,084 took part in the vote, of which 91,385 voted against the self-service scooters and 11,256 in favor.
According to statements by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the currently around 15,000 standing scooters from three rental companies will soon disappear from the streets of Paris. In an interview with MIT Technology Review, Gerd Landsberg, Managing Director of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, says what impact this could have on Germany – and how sustainable mobility should work without conflicts.
Mr. Landsberg, in the French capital Paris, a public opinion poll has now decided that rental e-scooters should be banned. Would something like this also work in German cities and communities?
Gerd Landsberg: If we don’t manage to achieve more order for e-scooter rental offers in the cityscape, then at least stricter rules and restrictions will have to be discussed. The e-scooters currently have an acceptance problem. Of course, that goes down well with the municipalities and also with the legislature. But to make one thing clear: the municipalities in Germany are not aiming for a legal ban on e-scooters. This should always be a last resort. Local solutions should be the priority.
“Problems are similar in many cities”
What difficulties do your members report in their daily use of the rental e-scooters?
The problems with e-scooters are similar in many cities around the world. In particular, incorrect parking of rental vehicles on sidewalks is widespread.
(Rental) e-scooters have been officially permitted nationwide since 2019. Has the situation improved since then? What role do special use permits play?
When the e-scooters were introduced, the cities had different approaches to dealing with the rental offers. In Germany, an increasing number of municipalities are now using the special use permit instrument. This can be withdrawn from providers who do not comply with the requirements. We think this is the right way.
How should one imagine the coordination between providers and municipalities? Can a vendor just come and get started?
That was the case in 2019, although the providers generally sought coordination with the cities. This then runs through voluntary agreements, where, for example, prohibited zones such as parks etc. are agreed. In the municipalities, where e-scooters are classified as so-called special use, this approval is now mandatory.
“The regulatory authorities will hardly make it”
The visually impaired and those with walking disabilities feel restricted in their mobility by incorrectly parked e-scooters. What help can cities and municipalities give here?
Let’s not kid ourselves, the regulatory authorities will hardly be able to clear away every e-scooter on the sidewalk. This is a clear task for the providers, who have to sanction the misconduct of some users. Unfortunately, e-scooters are not the only ones that sometimes stand on the sidewalk and thus endanger the safety of pedestrians.
What about technical solutions, for example that you can only hand in the e-scooters at certain parking spaces? Is there some kind of technical panacea?
We think the mandatory use of fixed parking areas is the right way to go. Parking should generally not be possible outside of such areas, e.g. on sidewalks. This is technically not a problem with so-called geofencing.
Cities and communities are becoming more and more important. Would it have been good to spare them the (rental) e-scooters or is this just a question of mobile progress?
dr Gerd Landsberg, Managing Director of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities.
(Picture: (c) Bernhardt Link – Farbtonwerk)
We shouldn’t shy away from new mobility concepts and innovations, but rather regulate them in such a way that we create additional services and achieve transport policy goals. We want to strengthen alternatives to the car, especially in inner cities. In addition to the climate issue, this is also a space issue. But as far as replacing car trips is concerned, there is still room for improvement with rented e-scooters. Incidentally, private e-scooters are used in a completely different way. They are taken on the train or lie in the trunk and are then used on the last mile. You deal with your own vehicle in a completely different way and don’t just leave it lying around somewhere.
The integration of the e-scooters into the local traffic systems
Do e-scooters help improve mobility or are they taking users away from other means of transport that are already environmentally friendly?
In order for e-scooters to contribute to sustainable mobility in a city-friendly way, they must be integrated into the local transport systems. This already works in some cities at mobility stations or in conjunction with local public transport. Providers and municipalities must therefore cooperate.
Is traffic law sufficiently prepared for e-scooters, for example with regard to sanctions?
Changes in federal and state road laws as well as the StVO could support the way municipalities deal with providers. The rental offers should be clearly classified there as special use and excessive road use. The situation is not the same in all federal states. This would also save unnecessary court proceedings. We can also imagine that in certain areas the speed of the vehicles will be automatically reduced. This is also technically possible.
Does the German Association of Towns and Municipalities feel sufficiently supported by politicians at federal and state level to be able to resolve conflicts over (rental) e-scooters?
Regardless of the willingness of the providers to cooperate, effective control instruments are needed, in particular to regulate the parking of stationless rental bikes and rental small electric vehicles on public roads and to design the systems as a sustainable form of mobility. The commercial parking of bicycles and e-scooters should be classified nationwide as excessive road use by supplementing the StVO. The provision of the offers must also be anchored in the road laws of the federal and state governments as a special use.
(bsc)