Because CNN scrambles Rome on scooters and Gualtieri runs for cover
The American TV report on the chaos of scooters in Rome, the decision of the mayor Gualtieri and the noises of Assosharing. Facts, numbers and controversies
A CNN report was needed to turn the spotlight on the state of micromobility management in the capital. " The eternal city, which has been invaded, conquered and sacked countless times since its foundation , which took place almost 2,800 years ago – writes the American broadcaster -, is now invaded by more than 14 thousand scooters, modern wagons blocking the sidewalks, making people nervous motorists and kill ". The mayor Roberto Gualtieri (Pd) , perhaps seizing the ball, a few days ago announced a close to the use of two-wheeled vehicles.
THE CNN COMPLAINT
US TV has collected the complaint of some citizens and reported the numbers of what it calls a "death trap": 4 people killed while driving since the scooters were introduced into the city 3 years ago and " according to the health authorities, the ready aid of the city treat at least one serious injury related to the scooter every three days "in the face of the fact that" only 2% (about 270) of pedal scooters for hire are used daily ". Yet the most dangerous scooters are not the ones in motion but the stationary ones, abandoning you wildly on the sidewalk. "Giuliano Frittelli, head of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, moves – according to CNN – with his walking stick around half a dozen scooters that scatter the sidewalk near his office in the city center". The "wild parking" and their unusual shape make it easy for those with vision problems to trip over them
THE REPLY OF THE MAYOR GUALTIERI
The mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri , has announced, through his Facebook profile , a tightening of the rules on the use and circulation of scooters. "The Giunta di Roma Capitale has approved a resolution with the guidelines for the authorization of scooter and ebike sharing rental services, with clear rules for everyone, for a better service and greater urban decor", writes Gualtieri.
THE SEVEN OPERATORS ACTIVE IN ROME
Currently seven operators are active in Rome, HELBIZ, LIME, BIRD, DOTT, LINK, WIND and the latest arrival TIER, and there are approximately 14,500 vehicles in circulation. These numbers are destined to change, according to Roberto Gualtieri. "Among the main innovations, starting from 1 January 2023: the operators will go from the current 7 to 3, with the scooters that from the current 14,500 will become a maximum of 9 thousand , of which 3 thousand in the central areas and the rest equally divided among the other Municipalities – yes law on the mayor's profile -. Ebikes will decrease from 12,500 to 9 thousand ". In December the current concessions expire, to get to approve the new assignments the call will have to come out within a few weeks. “Out of 14,500 scooters in Rome, 268 are in use, 2.03% per cent – said the councilor for mobility of Rome Capital Eugenio Patanè in an interview -. London is perhaps the only large city comparable to Rome in size and has a single bike sharing operator with 1,200 bikes and three operators for 3,656 scooters. We must have a suit that fits the city ”.
ATTENTION TO THE HISTORICAL CENTER
The mayor adds that "for the scooters it is established that it will be up to the Municipality to identify the new no-parking areas and where to build the stalls". Indeed, it is not unusual to come across scooters "parked" without particular criteria along the streets of the historic center of the capital. “We will try to treat the Unesco site in a different way, which has specific features and must be treated with great care – added the commissioner Patanè -. We must guarantee order and the availability of vehicles in the micro areas ". In the historic center there is "a density of vehicles of 225 per square km in a very delicate area like the center".
COMPULSORY PLATE AND SPEED OF 6KM / H IN PEDESTRIAN AREAS
The mayor also adds that “the vehicles must be equipped with the license plate; the maximum speed will be 20km / h, 6 in pedestrian areas ; they can only be rented by adults, with the obligation to register with an identity card ".
CAP ON RATES: 12 EURO PER HOUR
New obligations also for the companies that manage the sharing of scooters. The minimum distance of 70 meters between the stocks of vehicles of the same operator will be introduced, who cannot place more than 5 units per block . In addition, the mayor's page reads, “The monitoring of vehicles must be carried out every hour . In the event of infringements, the rental companies will risk from suspension to revocation of the authorization ". Finally, another novelty is the maximum rate ceiling: 12 euros per hour. This is the point on which operators are most critical.
THE REMONSTRANCES OF ASSOSHARING
Assosharing, the trade association that brings together companies in the shared mobility sector, wanted to have its say on the CNN service. “In terms of accidents, a study by the Sharing Mobility Observatory at the Ministry of the Environment shows that 44 accidents occur for every 10,000 shared scooters – the association says -. Numbers that indicate that there is no emergency in Italy ". Instead, he stresses “the need to increase parking spaces dedicated to scooters in Rome and to activate new cycle paths, adapting to the numbers and standards of the main European capitals. Overall, it is necessary to analyze what is happening abroad: in London there are three operators with 6,600 scooters and in Paris three operators with five thousand vehicles ".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/perche-la-cnn-strapazza-roma-sui-monopattini-e-gualtieri-corre-ai-ripari/ on Tue, 28 Jun 2022 05:07:05 +0000.