Brussels Mobility announced on Thursday that it will introduce a stricter framework for shared mobility in the region. These include shared scooters, bicycles and motor scooters.
The Brussels government approved a decree which will restrict the circulation and parking of scooters and other bicycle-sharing vehicles in the Brussels region. Certain measures will gradually be implemented this summer, but the official change to the new operator management system will take place on 1 January 2024, the mobility office said.
While shared vehicles have proven themselves as mobility alternatives, Brussels Mobility stated that "under no circumstances should they be developed to the detriment of users of other modes of transport, particularly pedestrians and people with reduced mobility".
Limited number of operators
Brussels Mobility will call for two self-service scooter operators to be designated by 1 January 2024. The applicants will be assessed based on their measures regarding parking and road safety regulations, and focus on reducing their social and environmental impact.
In Brussels, the overall fleet of scooters will be reduced from the current 20,000 to a maximum of 8,000. Besides the shared scooters, three shared bicycle service operators will be designated, two motor scooter operators and two cargo bicycle operators.
From the three shared bicycle operators, 7,500 bicycles will be available. There will also be 600 motor scooters and 300 cargo bicycles.
Parking zones and reduced speed
From 1 January 2024, drop zones will be marked out for parking scooters after a user's journey. A user will not be able to 'finish' their journey if the vehicle is not in a designated parking zone. Some municipalities have already implemented the measure and others are set to follow in the coming months.
Brussels Mobility stated that it has already begun working with the shared micro-mobility operators to automatically limit the maximum speed of scooters to 20 km/hour throughout the Brussels region and 8 km/hour in pedestrian zones, the city centre and on the Chaussée d'Ixelles.
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However, the 8 km/hour limit will gradually be extended to all pedestrian and green areas in the Brussels region by January 2024.
"Shared scooters are only welcome in Brussels if they don't get in the way of other road users. This is why we have finally opted for stricter legislation: fewer scooters, fewer operators, compulsory drop-off zones and fines for bad parking," Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt said.
