Germany considers issuing new electric scooter regulations

The German pedestrian lobby has been criticising the parking regulations surrounding electric scooters since the approval of the rentable vehicles around six years ago. Under pressure from cities, the operators made improvements and imposed new requirements on users for proper parking. However, the conflict between the pedestrian lobby and the operators continued to smoulder. Now it is apparently coming to a showdown: Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder’s (CDU) office is dealing with the issue. The German publication Tagesspiegel was the first to report on the matter, citing a new draft bill to amend the Ordinance on Small Electric Vehicles and other road traffic regulations, dated 26 June and made available to Tagesspiegel Background.

According to the report, the ministry’s starting point is to harmonise the rules for electric pedal scooters with those for cycling. In the private sector, private e-scooters (as well as bikes) may also be parked on the pavement as long as “this does not endanger or hinder others.” However, for commercial bikes and electric scooters, “this is not authorised parking within the meaning of the ordinance,” the document states. This is because commercial hire “does not qualify as part of stationary traffic within the meaning of road traffic law.”

As the Tagesspiegel further reports, the ordinance now clearly states that the parking of rental bikes and electric scooters is a special use under road traffic law that requires authorisation and is therefore subject to charges. In future, the only option for providers would be to develop a local concept in collaboration with municipalities.

zeit.de, tagesspiegel.de (both in German)