The Tàrrega City Council has modified the traffic ordinance to regulate for the first time comprehensively the mobility of electric scooters in the municipality. The new text still must pass through the plenary session to be able to enter into force.
The proposal sets a minimum age of 15 years for the users of these vehicles, unless state regulations establish otherwise. In the case of minors, they will only be able to circulate through specific areas and always under the supervision of an adult person.
Mandatory helmet and requirements to circulate
The ordinance establishes that the helmet will be mandatory in all cases. In addition, users must have civil liability insurance, an official identification plate and a homologation certificate.
It is also specified that scooters will be for single-person use, so that it is prohibited for two people to ride in the same vehicle. The maximum permitted speed will be 25 km/h.
As for the technical conditions, vehicles must have an effective braking system, stable steering, an acoustic device, lighting, and reflective materials. During the night, users will be obliged to wear a reflective vest.
Traffic rules on streets and single platforms
The text determines that scooters must obligatorily use bicycle lanes or marked routes and respect at all times the right of way of pedestrians.
When there is no enabled lane, they must circulate on the roadway of urban roads, as close as possible to the sidewalk. In single-platform areas, circulation will be done in coexistence with pedestrians.
Removal of improperly parked vehicles
Regarding parking, the ordinance states that scooters must use the spaces expressly marked for that purpose. If there are no reserved spaces, they may be left in other places provided that they do not obstruct the passage of pedestrians or the circulation of vehicles.
The Local Police will be able to remove poorly parked or abandoned scooters, as the new wording foresees.