Motorists have a duty to share the road responsibly, but enforcing traffic rules on electric scooter riders presents practical hurdles. In an interview by RT, Maxim Kadakov, the editor-in-chief of Za Rulem, weighs in on a proposal from the Russian Ministry of Transport. The central question is how to ensure accountability without stalling mobility or creating invasive procedures that strangers must endure. Kadakov highlights the tension between public safety goals and the realities of everyday travel where scooters are used by a broad cross-section of people, from daily commuters to casual riders. The discussion underscores a broader need to align enforcement mechanisms with the way people actually ride and travel in modern cities.
Kadakov notes that the current speed limit of 25 km/h is a useful baseline, yet it does not automatically translate into effective enforcement. If fines alone were the tool for behavior modification, the situation would remain unchanged. The core issue is identification: in many situations the rider cannot be reliably spotted, and the vehicle itself is often anonymous. Without the ability to stop a rider or verify ownership in real-time, penalties lose their bite and do not produce the desired compliance. This is not a mere technical obstacle; it speaks to how regulations must adapt to evolving micro-mobility and the practicalities of urban policing.
Beyond penalties, Kadakov advocates for a registration framework tied to power thresholds or specific models. By requiring scooters above a certain power level to be registered to a person or organization, authorities could establish a clear line of accountability. Such a system would help move from vague rules to traceable responsibility, enabling better incident follow-up and safer street habits. Proponents argue that registration would not only deter reckless riding but also aid in maintenance, theft prevention, and data collection that informs policy decisions. The goal is to create an ecosystem where riders, manufacturers, and regulators operate with shared clarity and fewer ambiguities.
In Moscow, officials have signaled that the Ministry of Transport may broaden the use of the Administrative Offenses Code to address violations by electric scooter users. The proposal aims to formalize penalties within existing legal frameworks, potentially creating a structured pathway for fines or corrective actions when rules are breached. The move reflects a trend seen in several jurisdictions: expanding statutory tools to reflect new modes of transport while trying to preserve urban livability and safety. Observers in Canada and the United States watch these developments closely, drawing parallels to local rules that govern micro-mobility, battery-powered devices, and the delicate balance between personal freedom and collective safety in shared spaces.
Meanwhile, a new phase began with a technological experiment in Moscow, linking electric scooters to the ERA-GLONASS status information system. This initiative represents a practical attempt to create a data-backed approach to enforcement and safety. By tying scooter status to a national information network, authorities hope to improve real-time awareness, enable faster responses to incidents, and lay the groundwork for future upgrades in verification and compliance checking. For riders in North America, this signals a possible direction in which large cities might explore interoperable systems that connect vehicle data with public safety and transportation networks, ensuring better coordination without stifling innovation. The experiment illustrates how technology and policy can converge to support safer streets while maintaining convenient, curbside mobility for users.