October 7 the government of the Russian Federation approved changes in the Rules of the road (SDA). In the document, for the first time, electric scooters, gyroscooters, unicycles and similar devices were singled out in a special group – means of individual mobility. Now you can move on them at a speed of no more than 25 km / h. What does this mean in practice and what else has changed in the traffic rules – in the material of Izvestia.
How have traffic rules for electric scooters changed?
The legal status of electric scooters and similar electrical devices has been actively discussed in Russia over the past few years, and specific rules were developed in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Transport, first in 2019 year and then 2021-m. They were supposed to be fixed this summer, but the decision eventually shifted.
Legislators were hurried by all road users: the number of electric scooters in cities is growing, and with them, accidents are becoming more frequent. Kick-sharing services are actively expanding: according to Izvestia, in 2023, there will be 1.5 times more rental scooters in Russia — about 330,000 units. At the same time, the number of accidents with such vehicles increased by 35% over the past year, and statistics do not take into account all cases, ignoring, for example, accidents in parks and squares.
Under the new rules, electric scooters, electric skateboards, gyro scooters, segways and electric unicycles have received the status of “individual mobility equipment” (IM). Their speed will be limited to 25 km / h, and the mass of such vehicles should not exceed 35 kg. It’s only about electrical devices. People on regular scooters and roller skates are still considered pedestrians.
Where can you ride an electric scooter
Drivers of electric scooters can now ride along the right edge of the carriageway, bike lanes and bike paths together with cyclists. There are also certain conditions: this is allowed only for people over 14 years old, while the road section must be allowed for the movement of cyclists, and for cars it is limited in speed to 60 km / h. If the scooter intends to move onto the roadway, his SIM must have serviceable brakes, a headlight and red marker lights.
The movement of electric scooters and other SIMs will be regulated by special road signs. They will indicate the permission, restriction or prohibition of movement in certain zones. Where to put signs, in each city will decide independently, depending on the location and road infrastructure.
According to Anton Shaparin, vice-president of the National Automobile Union (NAS), the government took the simplest path, without imposing any special restrictions on scooters.
– It is completely unclear who and how will control compliance with the established speed limits by electric scooter drivers. It will not be possible to use photo and video recording complexes, and there are not enough traffic police officers. Only rental scooters will have control, where the speed is strictly limited, he explained to Izvestia.
The expert added that the problem could be solved by registering SIMs: in this case, scooters, like motorists, would fall under the control of traffic cameras. In addition, Shaparin noted, the issue of compensation remained unresolved if the accident occurred through the fault of the SIM driver.
“They don’t have insurance, so all issues with compensation for harm in the event of an accident will have to be resolved in court, and then if you manage to catch up with the scooter,” Shaparin emphasized. He added that SIM drivers should be required to wear a helmet.
How to ride electric scooters on sidewalks
Pedestrian priority on the sidewalk, scooters will have to calculate the speed based on this. At a pedestrian crossing, all drivers of such electrical devices are ordered to dismount.
Chairman of the Russian Motorists Movement Viktor Pokhmelkin believes that it was necessary to completely ban the use of SIMs on sidewalks and pedestrian zones, and not just set a speed limit for them. In addition, separate lanes should be provided for this type of transport.
“Electric scooters are much faster than bicycles, and their maneuvers often come as a surprise to drivers. The appearance of special lanes for the movement of such vehicles will be more logical: motorists will clearly understand where SIMs can go on the road, the expert said in an interview with Izvestia.
What new road signs appeared in traffic rules
A few more changes have been made to the SDA, which relate to road signs and parking lots. One of them is a complete ban on movement, stopping and parking on guide islands and safety islands. “Such a measure should improve visibility on the roads and increase traffic safety,” the government’s website says.
The rules prescribed two new road signs: the first indicates charging for electric vehicles, the second informs about the ban on the movement of buses. The bus icon in a red circle first appeared in Russia during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but temporarily injected only for two weeks. It is noted that the permanent sign will not restrict public transport and school buses.
How parking signs will change
Parking signs will also be changed: an image of coins will be added to the letter P near the paid parking sign, and a stylized figure of a wheelchair user will be added to the disabled parking sign. Such signs were installed in several Russian cities back in 2017 as an experiment. They could be seen by residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Vladimir, Krasnodar and Voronezh. Now signs will be introduced throughout the country.
In addition, in order for drivers to find their bearings faster, the paid and free parking zones will be visually separated: the former with blue lines, the latter with white.
According to Viktor Pokhmelkin, color signs should be an additional means of informing drivers.
– For some time, for example, six months or a year, such markings should only be used in conjunction with signs so that drivers get used to it. Only then can the markup be used independently. Otherwise, there is a high probability of conflict situations related to paying for parking, due to the fact that the motorist simply did not understand that he was in a paid zone, he explained to Izvestia.
The government will publish the full document of the new SDA later.
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