Filenews 15 April 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The benefits of the use of scooters mainly in cities were developed yesterday in Parliament by the Minister of Transport, Yiannis Karousos, however, the fears expressed by all sides are that they will hardly get off the roads and pass in the special lanes, while gaps will be observed in the controls.
According to the three bills that the House Transport Committee has been debating since yesterday, electric scooters will be a new separate category for the Highway Code and will also be governed by rules regarding traffic, parking and technical specifications. For those who will violate these rules, there are extrajudicial fines of €50 and €85.
The bills were presented yesterday by the Minister of Transport, who made it clear that both the Police, as well as the municipalities and communities, will have the responsibility of controlling scooters. He stressed the dangers that lurk when personal mobility devices are on the roads and added that before someone sells them or rents them, he should adjust them so that they cannot run beyond 15km per hour, despite suggestions to move at 25 or even 30km.
According to the main provisions of the bills:
>> The use of scooter-skates will only be allowed for users aged 16 years and over on any cycle path, bicycle lane or in a space that is an extension of a bicycle path and which is intended to provide the possibility of sharing it by cyclists and pedestrians. It is forbidden to use it on any motorway or on an expressway, as well as by persons who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
>> The use of scooter-skateboard will be prohibited in any square or on any pedestrian street, except by decision of the relevant municipality or community that will determine the allowed areas with special marking. The municipality or municipality concerned must take into account the assessment of the impact on road safety, in particular for the benefit of pedestrians, before taking the decision.
>> The user of the scooter-skateboard must wear a properly attached helmet during its use. It will be forbidden to carry any person as a passenger on any part of the scooter, unless by design the carriage of a passenger, whose age must be over 12 years. The passenger should be helmeted and seated in a seat intended by design for this purpose and securely attached to the frame of the scooter.
>> The maximum speed that the scooter-scooter can develop is 15 kilometres per hour. Scooters in use should have the following minimum equipment: Brake system, white or yellow light lamp permanently attached to the front, fixed or flashing red light lamp at the rear, bell or siren and tyres in good condition.
Problem the lack of infrastructure
According to the transport minister, rental companies scooters should have them insured with universal insurance against a third party.
Bystanders at the Commission, including the Motorcycle Importers' Association, said that while the use of scooters on the roads will be banned, we will see them on the roads, because there are no lanes for these means of transport. When a student or other wants to move and there is no lane in his path that will be allowed to be used by such devices, he will be forced to move on the street with all the consequences. It was also mentioned that scooters will also move on the sidewalks since there will not be sufficient control.
Members stressed the need to regulate the circulation of these devices "with which Cyprus has been filled" and to avoid accidents. In a statement, disy MP Fotini Tsiridou said that the developments force us to regulate the movement of Personal Mobility Devices, counting various parameters based on road safety, mobility, but also urban, traffic and other data on the ground. Emphasis, he said, will be given to tourist areas, which is why it is necessary for the Republic of Cyprus to promote the regulation of scooters.
Which extrajudicial documents and when will they be imposed?
An extrajudicial fine of €85 will be imposed in cases where:
>> Person using a scooter-scooter is between the ages of 14 and 16.
>> Scooter-skateboard owner or the parent or the holder of parental responsibility for a minor under the age of 16 fails to take all necessary measures to prevent its use by the minor.
>> Person uses scooter-scooters on a motorway or on an expressway or in an unauthorised traffic area or on the roadway of a public road, except in the case of a road junction joining permitted traffic areas.
>> Person uses a scooter-skateboarding at a speed exceeding 15 kilometres per hour or does not have a properly attached helmet.
>> person using scooter-scooters does not comply with the indications of the signs and traffic lights that regulate the movement of vehicles, motorized and non-motorized.
An extrajudicial fine of €50 will be imposed in the following cases:
>> Person uses scooter-skateboard outside the specified lane of movement and does not obey the signals and instructions of a police officer or a person who regulates traffic on a pedestrian crossing outside schools.
>> Person using scooter-skateboard does not give priority to a pedestrian.
>> Person using a scooter-skateboard carries any person as a passenger.
>> Person parks or abandons his scooter-skateboard on a bicycle lane, bicycle path, bicycle path or roadway, preventing free movement.
>> Person who uses a scooter-scooter to tow any object or tows the scooter-skateboard from another vehicle.
>> Person who uses scooter-skateboard without running lamps.
Out-of-court and drivers: With an extrajudicial fine of €85, drivers of motor vehicles of any category and of any kind or size that will not take protective measures against scooter-skateboard users will be punished.
