The Brussels parliament wants to get tougher on shared e-scooters and bicycles by introducing special parking areas, speed limits and fines if the vehicles are dumped in the street.
Arnaud Verstraete, leader of the Greens in the Brussels-Capital Region’s parliament, on Monday put forward a plan for stricter rules with the support of the ruling parties in the parliament. It is expected to be voted on in early 2022.
“This clearer legislation will help us to make the public space safer for all users,” said Verstraete, according to the Brussels Times. If passed, local authorities within the central Brussels region would be able to set up mandatory parking spaces.
According to Verstraete’s plans, poorly parked scooters could be confiscated by law enforcement, and the operator fined — with the fine able to be passed on to the rider.
Under the plans, a speed limit will also be enforced in pedestrian areas.
“Operators can use technical interventions to ensure that scooters in pedestrian zones cannot exceed walking speed,” said Verstraete. If a rider wants to go faster than 6 kilometers per hour, they have to drive the scooter outside of a pedestrian zone.
E-scooters led to a spike in accident rates when first introduced in the Belgian capital.