Lisbon changes scooter direction - 1st March 2023

Lisbon, in Portugal, is trying to stop road problems. Lisbon has lots of electric scooters - e-scooters.

These bikes are a fantastic solution to climate change. They're cheap, and easy to use. They can go everywhere in a city. But they aren't always the best answer. For example, people don't park them well and they can be dangerous. Some people drive them too fast.

The mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, wants to try and stop some of the problems.

Carlos Moedas:"Three major decisions have been taken concerning scooters. Firstly, compulsory parking places, so that people can no longer leave their scooters wherever they want. We will create "hot spots" where they can leave their scooters and only there can they leave them. Secondly, a limited number of scooters for each operator. Thirdly, the maximum speed is set at 20 kilometres per hour."

Other cities already changed their rules about e-scooters. This was because of road accidents.

Marino Machado is a doctor. He also did a study on scooter accidents. He knows the cost is high.

Marino Machado: "As for scooter accidents, in financial terms, if you add emergency care, medical consultations, hospital admissions and surgeries, you are looking at around 300,000 euros over the course of one year."

In Barcelona and Montreal, they stopped using e-scooters. This month, rules in Lisbon will change. Perhaps the situation will get better. If not, they can say goodbye to e-scooters.

Many riders feel happy about the changes.

Micaela Marcos: "I think these measures are good, they will improve safety for users, for drivers and for pedestrians."