Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław:

We present the most important of the changes being introduced so that every road user can familiarize themselves with them sufficiently early. Let us remember that ignorance of the regulations does not exempt anyone from the obligation to comply with them.

20 May and 1 June 2021 are two important dates for all road users travelling on Polish roads. On these days, new regulations introduced through two amendments to the Road Traffic Act will enter into force.

And adds:

Every road user, regardless of whether they travel on foot, ride a bicycle, drive a car or even use a scooter, should familiarize themselves with the new legal regulations in order to move around our roads safely and without exposing themselves to legal consequences.

What changes will enter into force on 20 May?

“The package of changes entering into force on 20 May 2021 will legally regulate, among other things, the issue of currently popular electric scooters and personal transport devices. The regulations will clearly define the rules for using such devices and specify a range of rights and obligations that both their users and other road users will have to follow,” reports junior officer Przemysław Ratajczyk from the Press Team of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław.

Three new definitions will appear in the Road Traffic Act:

  • mobility-assisting device – a device or sports and recreational equipment intended for a person to move while standing, powered by muscle strength;
  • electric scooter – an electrically powered, two-axle vehicle with handlebars, without a seat or pedals, structurally intended to be operated exclusively by a rider located on the vehicle;
  • personal transport device – an electrically powered vehicle, excluding an electric scooter, without a seat or pedals, structurally intended to be operated exclusively by a rider located on the vehicle.

In connection with expanding the catalogue of devices and vehicles used for getting around, each new element in this category has been precisely defined in terms of the rules for its use, as well as the rights and obligations imposed on its users.

MOBILITY-ASSISTING DEVICE

A person travelling using a mobility-assisting device will be required to use a pavement, pedestrian route or cycle path.

On a cycle path, they will be required to keep to the right. If using a pavement or pedestrian route, they will be required to move at a speed close to that of a pedestrian, exercise particular caution, give way to pedestrians and not obstruct their movement.

When crossing the roadway, this person will be required to exercise particular caution and use, as appropriate, a cyclist crossing or a pedestrian crossing.

A person travelling using a mobility-assisting device will be required to:

  • move at a speed that ensures control of the device, taking into account the conditions in which traffic is taking place;
  • when passing another road user or vehicle travelling in the opposite direction, keep a safe distance from them;
  • when passing around a vehicle, road user or obstacle, keep a safe distance from it;
  • before overtaking, make sure there is sufficient space to do so without obstructing anyone’s movement;
  • when approaching a pedestrian crossing, exercise particular caution and give way to pedestrians on the crossing.

A person travelling using a mobility-assisting device will be prohibited from:

  • travelling while intoxicated, under the influence of alcohol or a substance producing an effect similar to alcohol;
  • carrying another person, an animal or cargo;
  • towing a vehicle or cargo;
  • holding onto vehicles;
  • travelling backwards.

ELECTRIC SCOOTER

A person riding an electric scooter will be required to use a cycle path or cycle lane if one is designated for the direction in which they are travelling or intend to turn. When using a shared cycle and pedestrian path, they will be required to exercise particular caution and give way to pedestrians.

A person riding an electric scooter will be required to use the roadway on which vehicles are permitted to travel at a speed of no more than 30 km/h if there is no separate cycle path or cycle lane.

Use of a pavement or pedestrian route by a person riding an electric scooter will be permitted only exceptionally, when the pavement runs alongside a roadway on which vehicles are permitted to travel at more than 30 km/h and there is no separate cycle path or cycle lane.

A person riding an electric scooter will be prohibited from:

  • towing or pulling another vehicle;
  • carrying another person, an animal or cargo.

When using a pavement or pedestrian route, a person riding an electric scooter or using a personal transport device will be required to travel at a speed close to that of a pedestrian, exercise particular caution, give way to pedestrians and not obstruct their movement.

Police:

IMPORTANT!!!

The permitted speed for electric scooters and personal transport devices will be 20 km/h.

For persons under 18, a document confirming the authorization to operate an electric scooter or personal transport device will be a bicycle card or a category AM, A1, B1 or T driving licence.

Children aged up to 10 will be prohibited from riding an electric scooter or using a personal transport device on the road. A child aged up to 10 will be permitted to ride an electric scooter or use a personal transport device only in a residential zone and exclusively under the supervision of an adult.

PERSONAL TRANSPORT DEVICE

A person using a personal transport device will be required to use a cycle path if one is designated for the direction in which they are travelling or intend to turn.

When using a shared cycle and pedestrian path, a person using a personal transport device will be required to exercise particular caution and give way to pedestrians.

Use of a pavement or pedestrian route by a person using a personal transport device will be permitted only exceptionally, when there is no separate cycle path.

A person using a personal transport device will be prohibited from:

  • towing or pulling another vehicle;
  • carrying another person, an animal or cargo;
  • holding onto vehicles.

As a result of the new regulations, existing legal provisions concerning the conduct of pedestrians and drivers towards users of the newly created categories of vehicles and devices will also change.

Spokesperson:

Therefore, from 20 May this year, a vehicle driver who will still be required to exercise particular caution and keep a safe distance from the vehicle or road user being overtaken will now also, when overtaking an electric scooter, personal transport device or person using a mobility-assisting device, have to maintain a distance of at least 1 m.

A pedestrian, except for a person with a disability, when using a cycle path, will also be required to give way to a person using a mobility-assisting device, an electric scooter or a personal transport device.

What changes will enter into force on 1 June?

Junior officer Przemysław Ratajczyk

As of 1 June 2021, individual regulations concerning drivers and pedestrians will change. The new legal regulations in this area aim to increase the safety of pedestrians crossing the roadway, standardize permitted vehicle speeds in built-up areas regardless of the time of day, and introduce a specific, measurable minimum distance from the vehicle ahead when driving on a motorway or expressway.

PEDESTRIANS

Police:

Pedestrian priority at pedestrian crossings: a pedestrian, including when ENTERING the roadway or tram tracks, rather than—as previously—only when crossing the roadway or tram tracks, will be required to exercise particular caution and, except in certain cases, use a pedestrian crossing. A pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing, as well as one ENTERING it, will have priority over a vehicle, excluding a tram.

Using a phone at a pedestrian crossing: pedestrians will be prohibited from using a phone or another electronic device while entering or crossing the roadway, including at a pedestrian crossing or tram tracks, in a manner that limits their ability to observe the situation on the roadway, tram tracks or pedestrian crossing.

DRIVERS

Officers:

Changes to giving priority to pedestrians at pedestrian crossings: a vehicle driver, excluding a tram driver, approaching a pedestrian crossing will be required to exercise particular caution, reduce speed so as not to endanger a pedestrian on or entering the crossing, and give priority to a pedestrian on or entering the crossing.

Introducing a minimum distance between vehicles travelling on a motorway or expressway: when driving on a motorway or expressway, a vehicle driver will be required to maintain a minimum distance between the vehicle they are driving and the vehicle ahead in the same lane. This distance, expressed in metres, will be defined as no less than half the number indicating the speed of the vehicle driven by the driver, expressed in kilometres per hour. This provision will not apply during overtaking.

Standardizing permitted vehicle speeds in built-up areas regardless of the time of day: from 1 June 2021, the permitted speed of a vehicle or combination of vehicles in a built-up area will be 50 km/h – the previous distinction based on the time of day will be eliminated (between 23:00 and 05:00, this speed is currently increased to 60 km/h). The exception will be a residential zone, where the permitted speed of a vehicle or combination of vehicles is and will remain 20 km/h.

And they add:

As you can see, there are many changes, and it will take time to become familiar with all of them and incorporate them into everyday practice. Let us remember that once the new legal regulations enter into force, compliance with them will be checked by police officers serving on the roads of our province. Ignorance of the regulations does not exempt us from the obligation to comply with them, so it is worth carefully familiarizing ourselves with all the changes now.