The movement of scooters should be regulated as soon as possible by the Road Traffic Safety Law, according to Stefan Bulatović from the non-governmental organizationBiciklo.me.
Last year, there were seven traffic accidents involvingelectric scooters, in which one minor was killed and seven people suffered serious injuries. These data are stated in the Report on the State of Road Traffic Safety in Montenegro for 2022.
The Police Directorate told Radio Montenegro that the Ministry of Interior (MUP) plans to soon amend the above-mentioned law in order to define the conditions and manner of using electric scooters.
The police advise against using electric scooters on roads and in areas intended for pedestrians.
“The recommendation of the civic organization Biciklo.me is to treat electric scooters as vehicles, that is, to prescribe movement on a bike path or lane, and if there is no path, to move on the road, as in the case of bicycles,” Bulatović said.
He also advises limiting the speed to around 20 km/h in order to reduce the likelihood of injuries.
Although, as Bulatović says, there is no perfect solution, the competent authorities are advised, when drafting amendments to this law, to look at how different European countries have regulated this issue.
Bulatović notes that all the ambiguities and dangerous situations related to the movement of electric scooters show that Montenegrin cities lack safe and high-quality infrastructure for non-motorized modes of transport, both for scooters and for bicycles and pedestrians. He adds that the amendments to the above-mentioned law should also regulate the use of electric scooters by minors.
In conclusion, he added that decision-makers should design streets where children will feel safe, as well as areas without dense and fast car traffic, in order to raise safety to a higher level.