The Secretariat for Traffic of the Capital City of Podgorica will submit to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) an initiative by which scooters, as a means of transport that participates in traffic, would be recognized through legal regulations.
That's what he told "Vijesti". Mervan Drpljević from that Secretariat.
As he said, such an initiative is being prepared. He did not announce other details regarding the initiative for the legal recognition of scooters.
Electric scooters, as a means of transportation, have been in use in Montenegro for several years, but there are no official statistics on how many there are. Also, since the operation of electric scooters is not regulated by law, the users of this means of transport ride them on sidewalks and bicycle paths, but they also move on the road with scooters.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) treated tricycles in the Report on the state of road traffic safety for 2022.
"New forms and trends in modern road traffic, except in developed European countries, have recently become more and more present in Montenegro as well. In the reporting period, there was an increasing participation in the traffic of electric vehicles with a focus on... electric scooters and the like. The increasing mass use of electric scooters is especially characteristic, and their participation in traffic already causes certain problems and consequences, which causes special attention of citizens and the media", it is written in that document.
In addition to other things, it was also stated that in the period covered by the report, seven traffic accidents involving electric scooters occurred, "in which one minor was killed and seven persons were seriously injured".
It is also noted that the Law on Road Traffic Safety does not recognize electric scooters as a legal category.
"And in practice, they are already represented in traffic and to a significant extent, especially in Podgorica and larger cities on the coast. Some of the drivers of electric scooters already take part in traffic accidents in such a way that during movement they fall, then come into contact with pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles, depending on whether they are moving on the sidewalk, footpaths, cycle paths or roadways", it is written in report for 2022.
In the Report for 2023, which was published yesterday, there is no information about tricycles.
Pedestrians and two-wheelers cannot ride together
Members of the local parliament in the Municipality of Tivat recently voted in favor of changes to the Decision on traffic regulation, so in that city, in the future, among other things, scooters will also be prohibited from moving in pedestrian zones.
The proposal for the Decision on Amendments to the Decision on Traffic Regulation was submitted by the Secretariat for Traffic and Housing and Communal Activities of the Municipality of Tivat.
The decision, among other things, expanded pedestrian zones in the city, and at the same time added a new position, which treats the movement of two-wheelers in pedestrian zones:
"It is prohibited to move electric scooters and similar light electric vehicles, as well as bicycles in pedestrian zones...", it is written in the amendments to the Decision.
Four years of nothing
Four years ago, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) and the Police Directorate (UP) sent a proposal to the Capital City of Podgorica to stop the action of subsidizing the purchase of electric scooters, because this means of transport is not legally regulated to be used on the streets.
At the time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that they appreciated the capital city's initiative as a contribution to the promotion of healthy lifestyles and environmental protection, but also asked the city administration to temporarily suspend activity related to subsidies, because the use of scooters in public transport is not prescribed by law.
"Taking into account the fact that the use and use of electric scooters in public transport is not prescribed by the Law on Road Traffic Safety, nor is it regulated by another legal act, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent a proposal to the Capital City to temporarily suspend the activity of subsidizing citizens and purchasing electric scooters , while the area of use of electric scooters is not legally regulated and the necessary conditions for its application are created," the Ministry of Internal Affairs told "Vijesti" at the time.
In 2020, they also said that, together with the UP, they are considering the possibility to, through the Law on Road Traffic Safety or through other appropriate legal acts, prescribe norms that will relate to enabling the use of electric scooters in traffic.
A public call for subsidies for the purchase of bicycles and scooters is implemented by the capital as part of the "Podgorica on two wheels" project. Such a public call was also implemented last year, when the capital allocated a total of 60 euros for subsidies for the purchase of a bicycle, that is, an electric bicycle or an electric scooter. The public invitation provided that applicants could receive from the City a maximum of 50 percent of the price, and a maximum of 100 euros for the purchase of a bicycle, while a subsidy of 50 percent of the price, and a maximum of 200 euros, was determined for the purchase of an electric bicycle or electric scooter. .
On Thursday, the capital city announced that this year they will announce a public call for subsidies for the purchase of two-wheelers.
Serbia: Fines of up to 1.000 euros or one month in prison
In August of last year, Serbia adopted changes to the Law on Road Traffic Safety and at the same time regulated the movement of scooters - introduced many restrictions and rules, but also fines for those who do not follow the regulations.
The law stipulates that electric scooters must have special stickers, and their drivers are obliged to wear light-up vests and protective helmets. Also, as prescribed, electric scooters can be driven in special lanes intended for bicycles, and if such lanes do not exist, the scooter must be driven on the road no more than one meter wide from the right side of the edge.
If an electric scooter or an electric bicycle is driven in a path intended for pedestrians and cyclists, they must not exceed a speed of 35 kilometers per hour.
The law prohibits persons under the age of 14 from driving electric vehicles on public roads. A driver of a light electric vehicle who has reached the age of 18 can move on the road on a road where the speed of movement is limited to a maximum of 50 kilometers per hour.
Fines for non-compliance with these rules range from 100.000 to 120.000 dinars (over 850 to around 1.000 euros), or a prison sentence of 30 days.
A fine of 10.000 dinars (about 85 euros) is provided for driving on an illegal surface, and the same fine applies for driving without lighting or without a light-reflective vest. For more serious violations, confiscation of the electric vehicle is also foreseen.
Some of the public in Serbia consider such measures disincentive in the sense that their purpose is to get electric vehicles off the street.
"This change in the law has nailed the nail for the development of micromobility in Serbia," he told the newspaper "Danas". Igor Velić, traffic engineer and president of the "Safe Paths" association. He also said that the safety of road users using two-wheelers increases with the development of infrastructure...
EU rules vary
In the European Union, the portal Euronews.com announced in September, driving scooters on the sidewalk is allowed only in Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Slovakia and Sweden.
In some countries, including Greece, the Netherlands, Norway... scooter drivers are not even allowed to use bicycle lanes.
In EU countries, where the movement of electric scooters is regulated, the most common speed limits are 20 to 25 kilometers per hour. There are no restrictions in Bulgaria, Estonia and Hungary.
And the minimum age varies from 12 in Austria and France to 18 in Italy.
In Denmark and France there is also compulsory liability insurance. Wearing a helmet is mandatory for minors in Austria, the Czech Republic, France,
Sweden, while in other EU countries users of electric scooters of all ages are allowed to ride without a helmet.
Euronews.com also states that there is no difference in the risk of death between e-scooter drivers and cyclists, and that more than 80 percent of the deaths of both cyclists and e-scooter drivers result in collisions with heavier vehicles.
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