NGO Rota.mt have slammed the recently announced governmental decision to ban rental e-scooters, stating that it shows a lack of political vision. 

In an official statement, Rota.mt expressed its disappointment at the ‘ outright ban and attribute these flaws to a lack of political vision and unwillingness to regulate shared micro mobility. Without safe infrastructure, such as segregated lanes and dedicated drop-off points, most e-scooter users had no choice but to share pavements with pedestrians.’

Acknowledging that the current rental e-scooter system was not perfect, the NGO highlighted that the ban reflects fundamental deficiencies in the local infrastructure. 

Cars have historically always been prioritised at the expense of all other modes of transport, the NGO said. 

‘As a country we should be democratising and making better use of our limited public spaces. Initially, authorities promised dedicated e-scooter parking spots but these never actually materialised. This is a tried and tested solution used in cities all over the world, which could have tackled the erratic parking problem straight away.’

Due to a lack of political will to implement the solution, the NGO continued, the issues of accessibility of pavements was exacerbated, with the vehicles’ use becoming a public nuisance. This in turn affected the public’s perception of micro-mobility. 

‘By banning these convenient and clean modes of transportation, we believe that this a step in the wrong direction as this will come at the cost of many citizens who wish to diversify their travel beyond their private car and will greatly impact the country’s ability to encourage alternative and sustainable mobility.’

What do you think? 

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