This week's top three: Germany's Transport Minister calls for more enforcement on e-scooters; France's Parliament fails to reach agreement on new mobility legislation; London cycling commissioner calls for regulations on e-scooters
We've decided to move the Top 3 Stories publication date to Fridays, we hope you continue to enjoy reading it. As ever, your feedback is very welcome.
1. Germany's Transport Minister calls for more enforcement on e-scooters
German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer has called on authorities across Germany to properly enforce new rules around e-scooters. In particular, he criticised authorities for insufficiently policing the use of the e-scooters on pavements and pedestrian areas, which is prohibited, and also remarked that the Berlin traffic authorities have failed to designate special areas where scooters can be parked. The German Association of Towns and Municipalities responded to Scheuer’s criticism, saying that e-scooter users need to be better educated about the current laws.
2. France's Parliament fails to reach agreement on new mobility legislation
A joint committee in the French Parliament failed to find a compromise on the text of the Mobility Orientation Law, which would regulate a broad range of mobility services, including electric scooters and MaaS apps. The committee was unable to find agreement on how to finance the law. According to the legislative procedure, a new reading of the Law will begin in the National Assembly at the request of the government, most likely in the first week of September.
3. London cycling commissioner calls for regulations on e-scooters
Following comments made last week by Commissioner Mike Brown, Will Norman, Transport for London's Cycling Commissioner, has called for new regulations on e-scooters, following the death of a rider in a collision on 12 July and the injury of a 14-year-old boy in a separate incident on 13 July. Norman said: "They [electric scooters] are currently not safe - with no restrictions on speeds, no mandatory brakes and lights, and no rules on who can ride them and where." A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: "It is important that retailers continue to remind people at the point of sale that it is illegal to ride e-scooters on public roads." The Government plans to release a consultation on how to legalise e-scooters this Autumn.
This is a weekly note covering the top three developments in the regulation of on-demand transport in Europe. It covers taxis, ride-sharing, car sharing, carpooling, bikes, e-bikes, scooters, shared mopeds and anything else that's relevant to the sector. We also produce weekly global round-ups of developments in particular sectors of the sharing economy and offer a free two-week trial.
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