E-scooter, also known as a motorized scooter, has emerged as new means of transportation in many cities worldwide, especially in European countries. They are classified as micro-mobility for being designed with a large centered deck on which the rider stands and enhancing equity in mobility; thus, they are sustainable for transportation. Notably, the E-scooters are used as an alternative for bicycling or walking, and they are most commonly used in urban areas solely for law enforcement, leisure, and security patrolling. Therefore, since the development of E-scooters, ride-sharing companies have substantially executed an essential role of dropping a large number of them in US cities and other European cities to acquire markets and attract many more other companies to join them. Consequently, E-scooters have become more prevalent in European cities because of their convenience for short-distance easy access.
However, proper scrutiny has been conducted to determine whether they meet traffic requirements from increased access to E-scooters in European cities. Notably, they have been noted not to be street legal as they cannot be insured, titled, or tagged. Nevertheless, it has also been identified that e-scooters do not meet the national requirement for mirrors and lights. In addition, the structure of e-scooters such as small wheels has posed a concern whereby it has been realized that they are not safe for street use and can result in increased accidents. Therefore, from failing to meet some of the federal traffic requirements, European cities have threatened to ban e-scooters service, which has aroused the debate on whether to ban or restrict the e-scoopers operations. Therefore, in the paper with appropriate examples, I present my arguments which tend to advise the European cities on limiting the operation of e-scooters rather than banning them.
Firstly, many people have embraced E-scooters as means of transport because they require low maintenance costs and are easily accessible. They need little attention and have low maintenance costs when they get punctures (Edel, Wassmer & Kern, 2021). However, since e-scooters do not require any technical skills to use them, they are commonly used by everyone. They consume little power, and anybody can afford to pay for the energy they consume daily. Moreover, e-scooters being restricted rather than being banned is because they are very reliable to everybody. Many people spend a lot of money to travel to and from places of work. Instead, they can purchase E-scooters which fit the cost of transport one incurs daily to travel to places of employment. However, the youth might be more familiar with them than anyone else. Students who have not boarded for schools should use E-scooters to arrive at school at the right time without getting late (Laa & Leth, 2020). The restriction will favor many people rather than banning where people will be discouraged.
Many cities in the United States, especially San Francisco, have embraced e-scooters as part of the fabric of public transportation. Similarly, in Europe, cities such as Lisbon and berlin have also allowed the operation of E-scooters (Hardt & Bogenberger, 2019). The decision of the government to enable E-scooters in the towns within Europe has created job opportunities for many people. After launching e-scooter operations in California, an e-scooter rental start-up has already hit the market in over 100 locations in practically every country, logging millions of rides on shared e-scooters and bikes (Moran, 2021). Establishing measures to govern the operation of the e-scooters will save the people who own the companies that manufacture the e-scooters and the workers who are employed to work in the companies. If the e-scooters are banned in the cities, the people will lose their jobs and experience many difficulties, especially when trying to provide for their families. The restrictions will cover the rules on the roads; they will help prevent accidents and collisions within the towns.
People prefer the operation of E-scooters because they are more eco-friendly and reduce emissions in the time of use phase. They are electronic, emitting little or no harmful gases to the atmosphere (Tuncer & Brown, 2020). If the power is generated in an environmentally friendly manner, the environmental effect of this phase would be reduced. However, if the combustion of fossil fuels creates it, the ecological impact, particularly the number of greenhouse gases released, increases (Ganesh, 2020). A conducive environment is crucial to anyone, and thus the restriction to allow the operation of the e-scooters is better than banning them.
In conclusion, restriction of e-scooters is better than banning them. Once the Europeans agree to adhere to the constraints employed by the government, it will be easy for each user of e-scooters to ride freely within the cities. In addition, the e-scooters emit little emission to the environment, and thus, no pollution of air is caused. It helps to reduce the risk of airborne diseases to the human beings living within the cities. The companies which manufacture e-scooters provide job opportunities to people. When e-scooters are banned, it will be a significant disadvantage, so it is better to put restrictions than prohibit them.
References
Edel, F., Wassmer, S., & Kern, M. (2021). Potential analysis of e-scooters for commuting paths. World Electric Vehicle Journal, 12(2), 56.
Ganesh, Aditya. “Multi-modal Transport Solution Using E-scooters & Public Transportation.” (2020).
Hardt, C., & Bogenberger, K. (2019). Usage of e-scooters in urban environments. Transportation research procedia, 37, 155-162.
Laa, B., & Leth, U. (2020). Survey of E-scooter users in Vienna: Who they are and how they ride. Journal of transport geography, 89, 102874.
Moran, M. (2021). Drawing the map: The creation and regulation of geographic constraints on shared bikes and e-scooters in San Francisco, CA. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 14(1), 197-218.
Tuncer, S., & Brown, B. (2020). E-scooters on the ground: lessons for redesigning urban micro-mobility. Proceedings of the 2020 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 1-14).