The debate over the use of electric scooters has returned to the spotlight. In a poll conducted by Orange Press Agency, citizens appear divided, with some being “adamant,” demanding a complete ban. Notably, even scooter supporters favor creating dedicated roads and bike lanes as the better solution.
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Electric scooter poll: “Ban them completely”
Citizens’ opinions reflect a generational divide, with older residents demanding their complete elimination. Mrs. Panorea emphasizes: “I want scooters to be completely banned and whoever invented them and put them on the roads was wrong. Because they’re dangerous for people and for themselves, for their lives. Don’t they see this?”
As she tells Orange Press Agency, “we have accidents every day. Because they can even go up on the sidewalk. And I don’t have it in my mind that they’re coming. They could kill me, come from behind me and kill me. […] Should we put in rules but does anyone follow them? I don’t know. I believe it’s a gift without value. If they don’t follow car rules, will they follow scooter rules?”
Mr. Nikos shares the same sentiment: “They should be banned to save children and pedestrians and children. In my movement certainly, because they don’t only travel on the road. They travel on sidewalks too. They travel everywhere.” When asked about the possibility of strict rules being enforced, Mr. Nikos responds that “in the country we live in, there are no rules. I heard about it (the accident that happened). The parents are to blame for buying him the scooter.”
Leonidas: “Serious restrictions should be imposed”
On the other hand, younger citizens consider scooters a useful tool. “Personally, I believe scooters should exist. It’s just that in Greece where the cycling network and roads and sidewalks aren’t so good, specific rules should be created. Maybe even specific dedicated roads for scooters and bicycles respectively,” emphasizes Leonidas, who until recently used scooters systematically but has now sidelined them after getting a car.
“It’s a good means and a faster means of transport than walking and can go where cars and motorcycles can’t. They shouldn’t be banned but there should be rules so accidents don’t occur,” he adds.
When asked about minors, Leonidas says there “should be serious restrictions.” Generally, as a means of transport, he adds, scooters “are dangerous, just as motorcycles are correspondingly dangerous. When you’re on a scooter you don’t pay the same attention and don’t have the same responsibility. At least you don’t have the same sense of responsibility. But it’s exactly the same thing. You put yourself in danger.” Concluding, Leonidas notes that the basic solution is to stop treating them like other vehicles: “They shouldn’t travel on roads as if they’re vehicles. Because they’re not a vehicle, they’re not the same thing. They don’t have the same protection. They should be like in a bike lane. Like there are bike lanes in certain areas like Chalandri.”
Maria: “Only those over 16 should use them”
Maria, for her part, argues that: “I believe they should exist because especially in a city like Athens where if you’re young and don’t have a license and having one is very difficult with parking and traffic to get around. I think they should exist, just perhaps a special road should somehow be built for only scooters, like a bike lane let’s say, to be safer. Safer driving basically for scooter drivers. Or let’s say there should be some speed limit on roads where many scooters travel. Anyway, I think it’s good that they exist. They should exist just under certain conditions and protective measures,” she states.
Specifically regarding minors, she notes that the conversation about prohibition or restrictions is valid. “They could, let’s say, be able to drive from 16 or 17 years and up, like you can drive a moped. Because let’s say you can’t say you can drive a moped from 16 and can’t drive a scooter,” she points out.
“They don’t need to be banned”
Sofia and Evelina agree that the solution lies in regulation. “I see no reason to ban them. Certainly their use must be regulated. We expect rules for better use in the future. No (they shouldn’t be completely banned), for minors there should clearly be limits,” says Sofia.
Evelina emphasizes that “as long as they’re used safely, they don’t need to be banned. I think they’re a complete means of transport. They should be forced to use the same rules as a car, a motorcycle. That is, they shouldn’t be able to switch between the sidewalk and the road, only on the road and with traffic code rules.”
As a means of transport, according to Evelina, scooters “are faster than walking. They don’t get stuck in traffic. I think they’re like a slower motorcycle somehow. Okay, I wouldn’t take it on a highway, but on smaller streets there’s no problem.” Finally, regarding minors, she adds that they should be able to use them after 15 or 16. “If you can get a license, you should be able to use a scooter too,” she notes.
