The e-scooter: love it or hate it
The Paris e-scooter ban has been one of the more publicized debates around e-scooters in Europe. Yet, cities across the continent are grappling with the question of whether the micro-mobility devices that have become increasingly popular in recent years are a net benefit and whether or how to restrict and manage their use.While proponents of e-scooters see them as part of the electric micro-mobility revolution, alongside e-bikes or electric mopeds, that could transform urban transport and reduce reliance on private cars, opponents are not convinced. Particularly, e-scooter sharing schemes are often criticized for leading to obstructed pavements, and riders can be perceived to ride recklessly, posing a danger to themselves or others. Whether through recklessness or not, countries that have begun recording e-scooter crashes have seen an increase in crashes as e-scooter use has increased. Germany saw a roughly 50 percent increase in e-scooter injuries between 2021 and 2022 and a doubling of e-scooter rider fatalities from five to ten incidents in the same period.
While the debate around the environmental impact, the safety of e-scooters, and their impact on other road users remains unsettled and highly controversial, countries and cities across the continent continue to adjust their e-scooter regulations. There are currently no uniform European rules around age limits, whether an e-scooter can be ridden on the road, in bike lanes, or on sidewalks, or even which e-scooters can be legally used. While private e-scooters remain legal in Paris, e-scooter users in the UK are limited to using scooters that are part of trial-sharing schemes set up in selected cities.
Transport or a toy?
Despite the regulatory changes and uncertainties, the overall number of e-scooter users across Europe is on an upward trend. However, while e-scooter sharing operators are recording increasing revenues, the e-scooter still has a way to go to firmly establish itself as a common means of transport.Uptake and use continue to vary widely by region. Among Nordic countries, Norwegians have proven to be the most regular e-scooter users. Meanwhile, in Denmark, where cycling is well established, e-scooters are struggling more with breaking into the market. In addition, e-scooters are not necessarily being used for utility trips. In 2021, the leading purpose for an e-scooter trip in England was given as ‘just a ride’ and in 2022 in Germany, the largest group of users were riding e-scooters for fun.
