Rome wants to clean up the scooter jungle


After several incidents and degradation of heritage, the town hall wants to better regulate the use of this means of transport.

Obligation to be of legal age to reserve a scooter, reduce the number of operators to three against seven today and lower the speed to 20km/h, against 25 today. Pressed by the media and the exasperated citizens, the mayor of Rome has decided to tighten the screw against electric scooters with a new draft regulation which should come into force in January 2023.

The Eternal City currently has a total fleet of 14,500 of these self-service machines. scooters are widely used in a city whose public transport is notoriously deficient and have become essential for tourists, young people but also certain working people who are running after time. However, cohabitation on the road is tense in a capital with more than 240 km of cycle paths, but not reserved only for bicycles, often poorly maintained and almost non-existent in the historic center.

The red line was crossed one night in June, when two young American tourists on a spree descended the famous staircase of the Spanish Steps on a scooter, damaging several steps of this 18th century masterpiece for an estimated damage of more than 25,000 euros. The city’s surveillance cameras having immortalized their package, they were identified and were fined 400 euros each.

Several fatal accidents

The Municipal Police of Rome registers an average of 15 accidents per month related to scooters. On May 9, a 24-year-old man died in a collision with a car. According to Codacons, the Italian association for consumer protection, this accident brings to 17 the number of deaths on scooters in Italy since their introduction, including four this year. The association asks for more security on this means of transport.

Even the companies are trying to put things in order. Bird, one of the operators, is no exception. Since June 13, users must park properly in dedicated car parks. The department responsible for mobility in Rome told AFP that the town hall intended to ensure that the use of scooters becomes a real means integrated into public transport, by limiting their playful use.



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