Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Thomson Reuters Foundation
Singapore became the latest city to target electronic scooters on Tuesday, when a ban on riding the devices loved by commuters but loathed by pedestrians took effect.
E-scooters have become a common sight on city streets from Berlin to Paris, but they have been blamed for accidents including the death of an elderly lady in Singapore this year.
Anyone riding an e-scooter on the city’s sidewalks now faces up to three months in jail or a fine.
A man uses an e-scooter in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on 8th August. PICTURE: Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch
Here are five other countries that have restricted or banned e-scooters.
1. France
Paris has banned e-scooters from sidewalks, with offenders facing a fine of €135. A speed limit of 20 kilometres an hour has been imposed on the motorised vehicles across the capital, where scores of people have been injured and a man in his 80s was killed in April.
2. Germany
German lawmakers voted in May to legalise e-scooters on roads and cycling paths but ban them from sidewalks. Riders must be aged 14 and above, and comply with a 20 km per hour speed limit.
3. Spain
Last year Madrid banned e-scooters from pedestrian areas and from roads with speed limits of 50 km an hour or more.
4. UK
It is illegal to ride e-scooters on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements and offenders can face a fine of £300, although there have been recent calls for the ban to be lifted.
5. US
Some cities have imposed restrictions on e-scooters and a study in September found they were involved in a rising number of injuries, often involving young men who are drunk or stoned. Atlanta in August banned e-scooters at night after four deaths involving riders. San Francisco temporarily banned e-scooters last year after an influx of complaints from residents over illegal parking and congested streets.
Sources: City of Atlanta government website
