After months of work, the Tel Aviv municipality today published its rules for companies renting out e-scooters and bicycles. The regulation will take effect on August 1, when the companies will be required to obtain a temporary six-month operating permit.
The rules limit the number of e-scooters and bicycles to 2,500 per operator, which will force several companies to reduce the number of their scooters and bicycles on offer. The companies will be required to provide information to the municipality, which will be used for research and analysis on the use of the scooters and bicycles, and for further regulation.
The municipality will designate parking areas for e-scooters and bicycles, first in Area 3 (central Tel Aviv) and later in the rest of the city. The parking areas must also be marked in the companies' app, and rented scooters and bicycles left outside of these areas are subject to confiscation. It will be forbidden to block sidewalks and parking entrances with scooters and bicycles. Use of alarms between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM will be banned.
The companies will be required to operate their services throughout the city, with a predetermined proportion of scooters and bicycles in areas defined by the municipality, such as Jaffa and the area where light rail work is taking place.
The companies will also have to maintain safety for riders and present a plan for this to the municipality. These programs must encourage riders to observe the traffic laws and wear helmets, refrain from riding on the sidewalks, and prevent use by minors.
Operation of a service center will also be required.
Tel Aviv-Yafo Deputy Mayor Meital Lehavi, who is responsible for transport in the Tel Aviv municipality, said, "The presence of shared e-scooters and bicycles in the city is welcome. This is an environmentally friendly form of transportation that prevents congestion and air pollution and reduces dependence on motor vehicles. The shared scooters and bicycles facilitate more egalitarian mobility, reduce distances gaps, and help lower the cost of living. Together with the advantages come challenges, especially in maintaining public order. We must provide a solution that will balance all of the needs, above all those of pedestrians on the sidewalks. The figure we have uncovered of over one millions journeys a month prooves that demand exists, and the Tel Aviv municipality therefore must devise local regulation and rules for the challenge posed by the transportation revolution, especially at a time when the government is not functioning, but the situation continues to move forward."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 16, 2019
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