The Prague 1 City Hall is set to implement a prohibition on the parking of shared electric scooters within its jurisdiction, including roads and areas under its control. This decision, ratified by municipal councillors on a Wednesday, is driven by the fact that such scooters constitute a minority presence. Additionally, the district aims to approach the municipality to extend this ban to cover the entire conservation area. The town hall management asserts that this move aligns with established methodologies from the ministries of transport and interior. Currently, electric scooters for rent are provided in Prague by companies such as Bolt and Lime.
All borough council clubs have reached a consensus on the content of this directive. Co-sponsor Pavel Marc (Praha 1 Sobě) explained that, according to ministerial guidelines, parking electric scooters for rental purposes in public areas should be regarded as a “special use of roads,” entailing its distinct set of regulations.
“This implies that it is permissible only if the service operator secures the municipality’s consent, often in the form of a rental agreement,” Marc stated. He further emphasized the necessity of obtaining a specific road use permit from the roads authority and paying the corresponding fee. With the council’s resolution passed on Wednesday, plans were approved to completely prohibit parking on lands overseen by the borough, primarily consisting of parks and adjacent roads.
This prohibition does not encompass scooter usage while in motion. The majority of the roads fall under the capital’s jurisdiction, prompting council members to urge the city to enact a similar measure for the Prague conservation area. Marc argued that the city center, in particular, faces significant challenges due to scooter traffic, primarily caused by the influx of tourists. “Having relatively hefty machines, often occupied by two people, constantly cluttering our sidewalks and endangering our elderly population is incompatible with life in this part of the city,” he contended. This restriction solely pertains to the parking of electric scooters, not their operation.
In recent years, electric scooters available for rent on the streets of Prague and other cities have drawn criticism from local residents and municipalities. Detractors point out issues such as haphazard parking and their presence in inconvenient locations, as well as the risks they pose when driven on sidewalks, endangering pedestrians.
During a council meeting on Wednesday, Miroslav Stejskal, director of the Prague 1 municipal police, reported that officers had handled 4,352 scooter-related offenses and issued fines amounting to approximately CZK 1.1 million in the first seven months of the year. He noted that this represents the maximum effort they can allocate to this issue compared to other responsibilities, such as addressing bicycle-related offenses, which numbered only 560.
Notably, Paris implemented a complete ban on shared electric scooters at the start of September due to the high frequency of accidents. The French capital stands as the first European city to take this step, with 90 percent of voters in favor during a referendum, albeit with a low voter turnout of only eight percent of eligible voters.
Source: ct24.ceskatelevize.cz
