(BLO) SWEDEN CURBS SCOOTERS

The electric scooter revolution that’s swept cities across the world is coming up against authority in Sweden’s capital.

Stockholm’s streets and bridges are about to be set free from the micromobility vehicles as the latest clampdown comes into effect in September, according to the country’s infrastructure minister. The ban on riding e-scooters on sidewalks and restrictions on where they can be parked follows a cap on the number allowed in the city and new charges for companies that operate networks of them.

The legislation has been gradual, but marks an important point in the evolution of the industry. All over Europe, cities are working out how to balance the proliferation of people whizzing up and down streets on the battery-charged two wheelers with the implications for traffic and public safety.

After a hit-and-run death in 2021, Paris threatened to ban them entirely before settling on a speed limit of 10 kilometers per hour (6 mph) in the busiest areas. Oslo, the Norwegian capital, banned night-time rentals in a bid to reduce accidents.

At the same time, the business of sharing e-scooters is fast growing in Europe, with revenue projected by online researcher Statista to reach $640 million this year for the companies involved. They are also key to lowering road emissions to meet green targets.

The number of scooters on Stockholm’s streets hit the all-time-high of 21,000 vehicles in the summer of 2021. That was slashed when Stockholm’s traffic office introduced a limit of 1,500 scooters per provider with an annual fee of 1,400 kronor ($140) per vehicle. There are now a maximum of 12,000 legally registered e-scooters.

“This industry is still in the scale-up phase” said Benedikt Kloss, a consultant at the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility. “Cities are still trying different things, they are still trying to figure out what to do.”

The most restrictive measure in Stockholm is the introduction of designated parking spots or the city’s public racks stands for bicycles. The police will have more authority to remove rogue e-scooters, with the providers footing the bill.

Infrastructure Minister Tomas Eneroth said in a statement in June that scooter companies had been unable to control the “chaos” so legislation was needed. Bloomberg - link - Isabella Anderson - link - more like this (scooters) - link - more like this (Oxford scooters) - link - more like this (Sweden) - link