Spanish cities grapple with an invasion of electric scooters

Spanish cities are struggling with electric scooters that have appeared on sidewalks across the country, helping cyclists to commute but infuriating drivers and pedestrians.

In Madrid, public opinion is divided on the hundreds of electric scooters marketed by California start-up Lime, partly owned by Uber and Google's parent company Alphabet, since mid-August.

Unlike systems involving shared bikes that usually need to be left in docking stations, scooters are dock-free, forcing riders to park them out of the way. The next cyclist can find the nearest scooter with a smartphone app, unlock it and use it for a fee.

Similar electric scooter sharing programs have been introduced in other European cities, including Paris, Vienna and Zurich.

In Madrid, Lime scooters – which have already been used more than 100,000 times – are tolerated by the town hall on the left, anxious to reduce pollution.

But scooters are often left in places where they obstruct sidewalks – and their users often turn at the speed of pedestrians or walkways.

Last month, a video of two people, including a child, wearing masks during a run on a highway near Valencia's Mediterranean port on an electric scooter became viral.

"They do not respect anything, we need rules, it's crazy, they use lanes reserved for buses and taxis, they cross each other in front of cars," Fernando Sobrino told AFP. , 59 years old taxi driver. he was waiting for passengers in the center of Madrid.

Jose Manuel, a 55-year-old salesman, complained to scooters "riding on sidewalks without any control".

"There is a risk of being ripped off by someone like it happened the other day," he said as he walked down Gran Via, one of the busiest shopping streets in the country. center of Madrid.

"Dangerous and boring"

The arrival of scooters in Madrid follows the establishment of a public e-bike sharing system in June 2014.

Scooter users are delighted.

"You move faster, you can visit more areas, it's relaxing and easy to use," said 58-year-old Monica Rodriguez at Madrid's lively Retiro Park.

She admitted, however, that scooters can be "dangerous and annoying for people who walk".

The introduction of this new means of transport has surprised the big Spanish cities. In Madrid, where some 3.2 million people live, there is no law regulating the use of scooters.

The municipality is now planning to introduce a new mobility plan that will include rules for scooters.

Valencia is about to adopt new rules prohibiting sidewalk scooters.

The seizures

Barcelona, ​​the second largest city in Spain, overwhelmed by mass tourism, already bans the use of private scooters on sidewalks.

Rentals of scooters "self service" like those offered by Lime are prohibited.

When the German Wind company launched an electric scooter sharing program in Barcelona in August, the police removed the vehicles from the streets in a few hours.

The municipality of Llobregat, near Barcelona, ​​prevented Lime from settling.

The scenario has been repeated in Valencia, which has an extensive network of bike lanes.

Lime has deployed a fleet of scooters in the city in August without permission from the town hall, which requires a license for anyone carrying on commercial activity on public roads.

The Lime scooters were removed and the company was fined. He is now trying to convince the Valencia City Hall to allow him to pay a fee in exchange for a license to operate.

The representative of Lime in Spain, Alvaro Salvat, said that he regretted the lack of specific legislation on electric scooters in Madrid and most Spanish cities.

"We are the first to ask for our users, for residents, so we know where to go and where not to go," he told AFP.

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