If one thing can’t be blamed on scooter users, it’s that they don’t hide the truth. In a survey carried out by the RACC, three out of four admit that they ride on the pavement, a prohibited and punishable practice. Perhaps that’s why, at the same time, one in five say they’ve been fined at some point for breaking traffic regulations.
This 20% of people fined shows that the control of bad practices by the Urban Guard has gone up. Without going too far, last week 660 complaints were filed against drivers of electric scooters in the Catalan capital as part of a specific control device for personal mobility vehicles. It is almost 50% more than the weekly average of the previous year, when a little more than 400 weekly sanctions were issued on average, with a total of 21,030 complaints throughout the year.
The police pressure explains that in the first barometer on scooters produced by the RACC in 2020, only 7% recognized that they had been fined. Three years later, the figure has more than doubled, reaching 20%. Distractions (such as driving with headphones on or using a cell phone), skipping traffic lights and careless driving behaviors are the main reasons why fines were issued, according to city sources.
The third edition of the mobility club’s report delves into this and points out that 54% recognize that they skip red traffic lights, 42% say that they drive in the opposite direction to shorten journeys and 40% admit that they drive more faster than allowed. However, if the situation is analyzed with respect to previous years, the percentage of users who recognize that they regularly practice these risky behaviors is going down, and there has also been a slight reduction in those who go with their mobile phones or headphones on. Despite the capacity for self-criticism and to confess punishable attitudes, users of personal mobility vehicles give themselves a 6.9 out of 10 grade in their civic conduct, an assessment close to remarkable that does not square with the amount of ‘recognized breaches, worthy of flagrant suspension.
Virtually all consider that there is no adequate coexistence between different means of transport, and see cars, buses and vans as the main factors that make them feel vulnerable. “Coexistence is the great aspect that needs to be improved”, concludes the president of the RACC, Josep Mateu, who regrets the lack of knowledge of the regulations shown by a large part of scooter users. For this reason, it is committed to improving training in road education and adapting it to the particularities of those who have just joined the asphalt jungle, since less than two years ago 68% move in this way and one in four admit that they do not know the current regulations that prevent walking on the sidewalk, among other things.
Despite being the most innovative mobility option, the scooter’s initial hatch times seem to have hit a ceiling and growth continues, but at a much more sustained rate, from 119% the year before to 4%. In fact, it is the first time that in the observations drawn up by the RACC technicians, a fall in the number of scooters passing through some bike lanes has been detected, although it is also true that others are increasing and the authors of the report they attribute it to a simple modification of the routes derived from the construction of new segregated roads. On Avinguda Diagonal, for example, traffic has decreased, while the accesses from l’Hospitalet and Esplugues de Llobregat have increased by more than 20%.
Without establishing a direct relationship with the high levels of non-compliance with the regulations, the RACC survey warns that 15% of people who ride a scooter have had an accident with personal injuries. It is the first time that this question has been included in a sectoral report of the mobility club, which is why it cannot be compared with other means of transport with a high accident rate, such as motorists. In any case, it is surprising that of those who have had an incident, almost half have had it themselves. Of those who have been with third parties, one in four has been with another scooter.
The study also analyzes the origin of scooter users, and those who opt for this means of transport and leave their car or motorbike parked are rather few. 81% comes from sustainable means, especially public transport, especially among those who make metropolitan trips. Those who make shorter journeys – 80% are less than five kilometers – have simply incorporated the scooter into movements that used to be on foot or by bike.
