PRESENTER: Freya Slootmans, Vias institute (Belgium)
With more and more congestion and traffic jams in cities, we are increasingly asking ourselves whether there aren't other ways to get around. The electric mini scooter, or e-scooter, is one of these mobility solutions. In recent years, there has been a huge growth in shared e-scooters. They can replace car, motorcycle and bicycle trips in the city, facilitating the modal shift, and are considered a solution to the “last mile problem”.
But the e-scooters also bring along risks. For instance, pedestrians, cyclists and motorized vehicles still have to get used to the presence of e-scooters. Shared e-scooters are also "dockless", which means they can be parked randomly or even illegally on footpaths, streets or squares. There they can pose a danger to pedestrians and cyclists. Moreover, e-scooters users hardly ever wear helmets, which increases the risk of head injuries. Because users pay by the minute, they regularly engage in risky behaviour such as driving through red lights or ignoring the right of way of other road users. The little data available shows that users of e-scooters have an accident risk similar to that of cyclists.
Vias institute has taken stock of the situation in Belgium, bringing together international literature and Belgian data to give an overview of the issue. Furthermore, a survey was carried out among Belgian e-scooter users in order to map their mobility and risk behaviour. This same survey was also conducted in Australia, Czech Republic, Sweden and Norway.
This webinar will focus on presenting and discussing the results of these studies. After the presentation, there will be room for discussion.
FURTHER DETAILS OF INTEREST FOR PARTICIPANTS:
- Time: 17 March 2022, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm CET
- Fee: This members-only event is free-of-charge
- Location: online
- Working language: English
- Registration: The deadline for registrations is 15 March 2022