Scooter users becoming an increasingly serious problem. Should Bolesławiec follow Gniezno’s example?

Electric scooters have firmly become part of Bolesławiec’s landscape. They are fast and convenient, and allow people to move efficiently around the city. The problem begins when their users forget that a scooter is not a toy, and that its rider is a fully-fledged road user. Recent events show that this is not merely a theoretical problem.

Two teenagers injured

On 25 July, a serious incident involving an electric scooter occurred on Kościuszki Street. The 14-year-old rider was carrying a passenger and failed to give way to a car travelling correctly. A collision occurred, injuring both teenagers.

Neither boy was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. Importantly, carrying another person on an electric scooter is prohibited.

Police also reported that several incidents involving scooter users occurred in Bolesławiec during the same weekend, and that regulations were violated in every case.

A red light? Some apparently believe it does not apply to them

The problem is also visible at intersections. In May, a situation was described in which a young scooter user crossed an intersection on a red light, directly in front of cars that were starting to move. This time, it ended in fright. However, it takes only a moment of a driver’s inattention for such a situation to end in tragedy.

There is also no shortage of other behaviours that can be observed on the city’s streets: riding against the flow of traffic, riding across pedestrian crossings, or travelling on pavements considerably faster than pedestrians. It is worth recalling a basic point here: electric scooters have their own regulations.

The maximum permitted speed is 20 km/h. If there is a cycle path or cycle lane, the rider should use it. A pavement may be used only in specific situations, at a speed close to that of a pedestrian and with an obligation to give way to pedestrians. An electric scooter must be walked across a pedestrian crossing. Carrying passengers is also prohibited.

Gniezno said: stop

Gniezno found itself in a similar situation. Its authorities decided to take a firmer step. The Mayor of Gniezno introduced a ban on riding electric scooters along the promenades and park paths around Lake Jelonek and Lake Winiary, as well as along the Batalionu „Parasol” Promenade.

The reason? A growing number of dangerous incidents, including collisions with pedestrians and situations in which scooter users posed a threat in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic.

In this way, the city wants to improve the safety and comfort of people using these areas.

And what about Bolesławiec?

This raises a question that is worth asking publicly. Should Bolesławiec also consider restricting the use of electric scooters in certain parts of the city, for example in the market square?

This is not about a complete ban on using scooters. That would be difficult to justify and would also affect residents who use them in accordance with the regulations.

Perhaps, however, it would be worth considering a solution similar to Gniezno’s. Bolesławiec’s market square is one natural place for discussion.

It is a space where pedestrians, tourists, families with children, older people, restaurant and café customers, and scooter users meet. During the summer, at events and especially during the Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival, the number of people in the city centre increases further.

Should a scooter travelling even at the permitted speed really have complete freedom of movement in such a crowded space?

A ban or enforcement of the regulations?

Of course, one can say: we do not need new bans; enforcing the existing regulations is enough. This is an argument that cannot be ignored. If someone rides a scooter across a pedestrian crossing, carries a passenger, runs a red light or speeds along a pavement, the problem is not the lack of another ban. The problem is the violation of regulations that are already in force.

On the other hand, Gniezno’s authorities decided that in specific, particularly crowded places, enforcing the regulations alone was not enough, and chose to restrict scooter traffic.

Perhaps, then, it would be worthwhile for a discussion to also begin in Bolesławiec about where scooters should have freedom of movement and where pedestrian space should take priority. This is not about a war on scooters. It is about ensuring that using them does not mean pedestrians must constantly look over their shoulders.

Should Bolesławiec ban electric scooters, for example, in the market square? Or would more frequent inspections and consistent penalties for people violating the regulations be enough instead of a ban?

Which solution would residents choose?