While e-scooters can be valuable in combatting traffic and harmful emissions, their unrestricted use has the following unwanted effects:
- Discouraging citizens from the benefits of exercise (walking & cycling)
- Reckless use endangering the elderly, children and pets on public sidewalks
To discourage reckless use of e-scooters and to focus their use on combatting harmful emissions, we propose one or both of the following restrictions:
- Permit use of e-scooters only for those with a valid driving license
- Set a minimum age limit for users of e-scooters, validated via government-issued ID
Reason
Easily available, alternative transportation boosts quality of life in any city, but if any mode of transit comes at the expense of citizen safety and happiness, there’s a net loss. If we want to move quickly towards a low or zero-carbon transportation future, we must make that future clearly and undeniably attractive to all city residents. Reckless use of e-scooters/rollers increasingly makes life in Berlin annoying and even dangerous — but we have the collective power to choose differently.
Relevant links:
https://www.wired.com/story/escooters-accidents-europe/
https://www.wantedinmilan.com/news/italy-debates-electric-scooter-safety-after-teen-death.html
https://www.eltis.org/in-brief/news/oslo-adopts-restrictions-e-scooters
Debate
No CONTRA argument yet.
