'Playtime's over': Sweden to introduce new law on e-scooters

[Celerity]

Sweden's infrastructure minister Tomas Eneroth has announced new rules for e-scooters valid from September 1st.

https://www.thelocal.se/20220728/playtimes-over-new-law-in-sweden-from-september/



From the 1st of September, it will be illegal to ride e-scooters on pavements. Sweden’s infrastructure minister Tomas Eneroth made the announcement at a government event on July 28th.

“Now I can inform you that it’s the end of the line for e-scooters on pavements,” he said. “It increases the risk of accidents. I have seen myself how anxious it makes many elderly people and people with disabilities when e-scooters rush past at high speed”, he said.

Eneroth added that it’s not a “human right” for people to make a mess by parking e-scooters wherever they like. “There needs to be order on the roads. Playtime’s over.” The rules mean that, from September 1st, you can get fined for riding an e-scooter on the pavement.

The decision comes into place at the same time as a rule that forbids parking e-scooters on pavements and cycle lanes. With these new measures, e-scooters will now follow the same rules as traditional bicycles. “Together, these new rules will improve the accessibility and safety for everyone who walks on pavements”, added Eneroth.

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This year I have seen less issues here in central Stockholm (the firms themselves cracked down a bit), but 2021 was a nightmare.

[TheRealNorth]

1. I just had to dodge some guy today.....

That was going probably around 20 MPH on a downtown sidewalk.

I don't mind if they are on the sidewalks at a slow speed, but the speed this guy was going was reckless.

[EYESORE 9001]

2. I witnessed a good number of close calls in Washington DC last year

A couple of them came close to colliding with me.

[Phoenix61]

3. Where can you ride an e-scooter? nt

[mopinko]

4. in the bike lane

tho i wouldnt do it, at least not here in chi. those little wheels just aint gonna handle our shitty streets.

[duckworth969]

6. USA should follow suit

before an innocent gets killed, like a toddler or a senior citizen.

Of course, until someone is killed and that story gets traction on regional or national news, it’s unlikely any laws will be passed.

[sanatanadharma]

7. The E-scooter phenomena is made for selfish people

Grab and go and toss aside, sure there is a cost involved, but the freedom to go where one wants (roads, sidewalks, park paths) and the freedom to leave the scooter behind anywhere, upright, on its side, in the way (always), broke-down, is tailor made for those who live in "me-me" worlds.

And don't get me started on the selfishness of the scooter companies who make money while negatively impacting quality of life for citizens. Thankfully, Montevideo Uruguay finally took control and the businesses all pulled out because who wants to be bound by rules; it is not the selfish way!

[Ocelot II]

8. By "pavements" I assume they mean what we call sidewalks.

Same thing is happening here - scooters and bicycles on the sidewalks. I nearly got run over by a couple of morons riding their bikes on the sidewalk the other day even though my city has most generously carved out bike paths from the streets, to the point where now the cars are stuck with a single lane. Good idea, bad planning, and the bikers and scooter users still ride on the sidewalks. Some bicyclists, the ones in spandex riding mountain bikes costing more than some cars, eschew the nice bike lanes and ride in the streets, zipping back and forth among the cars, maybe because they want to show off how fast they can go - and then they get irate because there are all those damn cars in the streets.

[Bristlecone]

9. Downtown Denver is littered with them.

People get trashed on booze or weed and race them around like idiots. I like scooters, but they are a mess and people act irresponsibly on them.

Case in point, my buddy just broke his cheek bone riding one after game two of the Stanley Cup last month. He was smashed.

He was with me for game one and after the game he wanted to ride one home instead of waiting for us to get out of the parking structure. I stopped him and drove him home from the game instead. Game two, he was left to his own devices.

*note: I don’t drink so I feel like I notice more ridiculous drunk scooter behavior when I go downtown. Saw two girls riding one Tues night after the Rockies game. They tipped over twice in 1/2 a block. Fortunately for them, with two people on them, they don’t move very fast.