Brussels has decided to implement designated parking spots for scooters, just ahead of an announcement from the federal government that a similar measure will be rolled out across the whole of Belgium.
“Designated parking leads to a cleaner, safer environment for riders and pedestrians alike,” Rob Haycocks, spokesperson for Dott, told The Brussels Times.
“It can be transformative. We know that before we introduced it in Paris, there were several operators and it was a bit chaotic, but this can transform the integration of micro mobility in a city, making it much more effective, tidier, and better for both users and non users.”
Brussels has been examining ways to tackle the issue of haphazardly abandoned scooters throughout the city for some time now, and designated drop-off/pick-up zones were supported by many of the capital’s micro mobility companies.
Brussels already ahead of new federal regulations
Some municipalities had already taken the initiative to establish such zones, such as in Evere. Fifty zones will soon be marked there and users will be obliged to leave their vehicles in one at the end of their rental period, “otherwise the municipality will levy municipal administrative sanctions against the operator and the operator will certainly pass on the cost to users who have behaved badly,” said alderman Pascal Freson.
The federal regulations, too, impose fines of €116 for poorly parked scooters.
In Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, 31 parking zones are already in force, and Ecolo mobility alderman Thibault Wauthier said scooter operators are already cooperating: they won’t allow users to end the rental until the scooter is parked in one of the dedicated zones, with a photo from the user to prove it.
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“The key thing for us is making sure it's consistent across municipalities, not just applied in certain boroughs and districts but everywhere,” said Haycocks for Dott. “It operates really well on this level in Paris and London, with 97% of scooters parking correctly, and we don't see why we wouldn't see similar results in Brussels.”
Haycocks added that it’s important to make sure there's enough frequency and density of parking spaces: “We recommend 100 to 150 metres between them, so you're never far from somewhere to park or collect a vehicle.”
