The e-scooters in the state capital are once again a source of discussion. The measures agreed a few weeks ago at the e-scooter summit – including the deployment of e-scooter sheriffs – are not having the desired success, and the complaints continue to persist. “Groups of young people who endanger other road users through reckless behavior are a particular annoyance,” says Linz Deputy Mayor Martin Hajart (VP), who is responsible for traffic. He sees the need for the rental companies to take clear measures here. According to Hajart, “conspicuous scooter hooligans should be banned from use for a while or banned altogether”.
Hajart does not want to rely solely on the providers, he also relies on cooperation with the city police command. This has promised that in the coming weeks a focus action will be started. The focus should be on particularly heavily frequented areas such as the Donaulände in the area between Lentos and Brucknerhaus.
There is also a need for action in terms of complaint management, which is currently being handled via the city’s “Look at Linz” platform. The rental companies process and answer the incoming complaints directly there, for the future they should offer a telephone service that does not use city resources. According to Hajart, one possibility here would be to hire an external call center. It is clear that the city’s control options must be ensured with regard to the processing time. Another “construction site” is the often reckless parking behavior of some users, extensions of the no-parking zones are under discussion here.
A complete ban as a last resort is in the room
Over the summer (by September at the latest), Hajart expects the operating companies to take further measures and thus contribute to improving the situation. If they do not show the appropriate commitment or if there is no improvement, further tightening is conceivable. “A next step would be to limit the size of the fleet. Subsequently, a purely station-based system could also be established. The “Graz model” would be planned for the last stage,” says Hajart. The Styrian capital banned e-scooter rental systems in the city in 2019.
“The protection of vulnerable road users is essential. Basically, as a city, we want to enable micromobility forms such as e-scooters. However, this opportunity cannot be granted at the expense of others. The street is neither a playground nor a racetrack – regardless of the means of transport,” says Hajart.
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Source: Nachrichten
