Devices abandoned on streets create risks for pedestrians and other road users, city authorities say
Moscow authorities have announced a clampdown on e-scooters being left in inappropriate places across the Russian capital. The devices, as well as bicycles, will from now on be impounded if they’re irresponsibly parked.
In March, Moscow City Council said that the number of rentable e-scooters in the capital has multiplied by a factor of 13 since 2018 and was expected to reach 60,000 units soon.
According to data from Russia’s Ministry of the Interior, there have been almost 500 accidents involving the devices in the country, in the first quarter of 2023 alone.
“Scattered rental and personal e-scooters and bicycles interfere with other road users and pedestrians. They create a risk of injuries and accidents, and reduce the capacity of roads and sidewalks,” Moscow’s Department of Transportation said in a statement on Tuesday.
The agency announced that from now on it’s going to use “simple and effective means” to tackle this problem. Any transportation devices that are being abandoned at random will be removed from the streets, it said.
The owners of scooters and bikes would have to show proof of ownership of an impounded vehicle in order to be able to retrieve it, the statement read. It didn’t say whether offenders will be also required to pay a fine.
E-scooters and bicycles may only be left in dedicated parking areas that are designated in the apps provided by e-scooter and bike rental companies operating in the city, the agency stressed.
