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The return to something close to normality in mobility after the great stoppage of the year 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, also led, in 2021, to an increase in pedestrians being knocked down by traffic, although the figures are still well below the data from 2019. This fact, together with the exponential increase in cycling and especially in so-called Personal Mobility Vehicles (VMP) - mostly, electric scooters - in recent years, have meant that these vehicles are increasingly involved in accidents with pedestrians. According to data provided by La Vanguardia this Monday, bicycles and electric scooters were the cause of 40% of such collisions with pedestrians in 2021.

Specifically, says the newspaper using data from Barcelona's city police, the Guardia Urbana, according to the provisional 2021 record of traffic accidents in the Catalan capital there were 614 accidents when a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle, of which 246 were caused by bicycles and scooters - that is, 40.06%. In other words, four out of every ten. As for the total figure, it is worth noting that it is an increase of one hundred such pedestrian accidents compared to 2020, but that, nevertheless, this is still well short of the figure recorded for 2019, before the pandemic, when there were 1,147 accidents of this type.

As for those 246 cases, they are divided almost evenly: 122 pedestrians were hit by bicycles and 124 by VMPs, a group that as well as electric scooters includes vehicles such as hoverboards and segways. However, in the vast majority of these 124 collisions, the VMP involved was an electric scooter, by far the most widely used today. By comparison, in 2021, cars collided with pedestrians in 139 cases, while motorcycles hit 121 people. All in all, bicycles and scooters add up to more collisions than cars (40% compared to 22.6%).

Guardia Urbana, getting tough 

The Guàrdia Urbana are well aware of the increase in accidents caused by VMPs. Last November, the Barcelona city police  announced their intention to get tough with inappropriate behaviour in the use of this type of vehicle, in the face of a significant increase in accidents during 2021. As detailed by inspector Jordi Oliveres, by the end of 2021, 18,000 fines had already been collected from VMP users and he stressed that their users have an obligation “to know the rules”.

"Users must know that they can't ride on the pavement, just as they must know that they can't jump red lights," Oliveres added. The pavement (or sidewalk, for speakers of US English) is, in general, not for electric scooters.

 

patinets electric mobilitat - Carles Palacio

Electric scooters can only be used with one person, never with two / Carles Palacio

In fact, ignorance of the rules is one of the main problems that is found with regard to electric scooter users. According to the report 'The behaviour of the users of personal mobility vehicles (VMP) in Barcelona', presented by the RACC automobile association in September, 51% of users of electric scooters are unaware of the regulations applicable in aspects such as the use of safety elements (helmets and lights, which are recommended or mandatory depending on the type of scooter), the prohibition against carrying passengers and, above all, where they are allowed to be used - pavements are prohibited unless a bike lane passes along it - and at what maximum speed.

Speeding was one of the main issues identified in this report. Specifically, 19% of users admitted to exceeding the speed limit, which can never be more than 25 km/h, and 9% admitted that they have their vehicle adjusted in order to be able to break that speed limit. The most worrying statistics were those on scooter traffic on pavement bike lanes, where the speed limit is 10 km/h, while on bike lanes on the road the limit is 25 km/h. According to the report, 94% of users exceeded this limit on pavement bike lanes. It is also worth mentioning that the use of electric scooters on pavements is prohibited except when a bicycle lane is painted on the pavement.

Trials ahead

In addition, the increase in the use of electric scooters and other VMPs and, as a consequence, of accidents, has not been overlooked by the traffic police administration in Spain, and last summer they gave an order to all local police around the Spanish state to prosecute scooter users who breach the road code. Since then, Barcelona public prosecutors have received an increase in police complaints against electric scooter users. The first trials against them are expected in March or April 2022. This is an important change with respect to the situation till now, when Barcelona prosecutors, like those in most areas, did not pursue less serious complaints against scooter users due to the lack of clear regulations.

Speed limits for scooters (VMP) in Barcelona city
  • Prohibited on pavements; pedestrianized zones; roads except for Ciutat 30 streets; tunnels and motorways
  • Speed limit 25 km/h on cycle lanes (on the road) and on Ciutat 30 streets (minor traffic streets with 30km/h limit for other vehicles)     
  • Speed limit 10 km/h on cycle lanes (on the pavement), curbless streets (if vehicles are allowed), and parks (pedestrians have right-of-way)      
  • Fines: 100-500 euros

See all the rules for VMP use in Barcelona (flyer in English, here).