Ilya Turmanidze, the Chief Editor of GORUS, spoke on the matter in a live broadcast on the “Izvestia” channel
Kicksharing, the short-term rental service for electric scooters, has been present in Russia since spring 2018. One of the most effective solutions to control this new mode of transportation in the city was the mass restriction of speed, physically preventing scooters from exceeding a certain limit. Additionally, riding scooters in some embankments and parks was prohibited.
Despite these measures, unpleasant incidents involving scooter riders continue to occur, although not as frequently as before. In light of this, the question has arisen whether it might be better to ban them altogether and eliminate the problem at its root.
The “Izvestia” TV channel conducted a live poll on this topic within the “City Kitchen” program. Simultaneously, experts discussed the issue in the television studio.
Ilya Turmanidze believes that additional regulation is the only possible solution.
“I understand that there are drunk drivers violating the rules, so additional rules are needed. For example, in Canada, aggressive driving and stunts on a scooter can land you in jail for six months. If we had something like that, I think fewer inadequate personas would be riding around,” noted Ilya Turmanidze.
Another participant in the discussion, Roman Kalinin, the CEO of a consulting company, also pointed out that a complete ban on kicksharing would not limit owners of personal electric scooters, and it would be premature to talk about a complete solution to the problem in such a case.
Experts believe that today, we are at an evolutionary crossroads, similar to many years ago when cars first appeared in cities. People now face a challenging choice – impose a ban on this technological wonder or adapt the urban environment and legislation for its comfortable operation.
Photo: “Izvestia”