The Bundesrat has heeded pedestrian protests and allowed electric scooters on German streets, but not on sidewalks
Despite the fact that a government decree is still required for the final approval of electric scooters, the Bundesrat's decision means a clear victory for the pedestrian lobby, one of whose representatives is the Pedestrian Rights Association (Fuss e.V.). Federal authorities in Berlin have met the demands of the German states, which called for a ban on riding scooters on sidewalks, contrary to the government's original plans.
As Deutsche Welle notes, the German Ministry of Transport had previously abandoned the idea of allowing electric scooters on sidewalks. Now the Bundesrat's decision has put an end to the heated debate over the use of this mode of transport in Germany.
Pedestrians – the main risk group
Until now, the use of electric scooters, which are gaining popularity among residents of Paris, Vienna and St. Petersburg, was not officially permitted in Germany. In Berlin alone in 2018, police confiscated several dozen scooters, issuing fines of 70 euros to their owners for illegally using vehicles not approved for road traffic.
The discussion about electric scooters in Germany boiled down to the question of where they could be ridden – on sidewalks, bike paths, or the roadway. Initially, it was assumed that scooters could be ridden on sidewalks, provided they did not accelerate faster than 12 kilometers per hour. But that is three times the speed of an average pedestrian, noted the Pedestrian Association, which demanded that scooters not be allowed on sidewalks.
This is not without reason – pedestrians are considered the main risk group among all road users. Across Germany in 2018, 457 pedestrians were killed in road accidents. Berlin leads in the number of fatalities (19), which, however, is an order of magnitude lower than in Moscow (249).
"Some sidewalks in Berlin are so crowded that there are traffic jams of pedestrians," says Roland Stimpel, press secretary of the Fuss e.V. association. At the same time, paradoxically, pedestrians face the greatest danger in a seemingly harmless situation – when crossing intersections on a green traffic light. Cars turning on the same green light often do not yield to pedestrians and hit them.
The sad experience of Barcelona
In its campaign against allowing electric scooters on sidewalks, the German Pedestrian Association cited, among other things, the sad Spanish experience. In Barcelona, a 90-year-old woman died from injuries sustained in a fall onto the asphalt after being hit by a scooter (the schoolgirl driving it was looking at her mobile phone at the time of the collision). This accident forced Spanish authorities to ban the use of electric scooters on sidewalks. The pedestrian lobby in Germany wanted to rule out such situations altogether.
Berlin's sidewalks have historically been wider, says Roland Stimpel. But space for pedestrians is constantly shrinking – due to parking spaces and bike paths. There are more and more pedestrians, and less space, so the prospect of electric scooters appearing on sidewalks was met with hostility.
Founded in 1985, the Pedestrian Association Fuss e.V. aims to protect the rights of those who prefer to get around the city "on their own two feet." The organization disseminates information about where to complain about incorrectly parked cars and what to do when someone blocks a sidewalk – in short, it helps pedestrians reclaim "living space." Because pedestrians also need space, Stimpel points out.
German sidewalks in the power of pedestrians
The Pedestrian Association has no objections to electric scooters themselves – "if they replace cars on the roadway, that would be great," Stimpel clarifies. But on sidewalks, they would create unnecessary tension – children and elderly people would have to dodge fast scooters.
In Germany, there are rules for every situation, Stimpel notes, but fortunately, there are no legal regulations yet on how to walk on sidewalks, since pedestrians manage on their own, looking around and yielding to each other.
The possible appearance of vehicles in the form of electric scooters on sidewalks would require additional rules of conduct in public places. But now they will definitely not be needed, since sidewalks will remain in the power of pedestrians.