Starting February 1, Barcelona will introduce fines for riding electric scooters on sidewalks. The fine amount is set at €500, according to El País.
The new regulation aims to ensure pedestrian safety and increase the accountability of electric scooter riders. The maximum speed for electric scooters is limited to 25 km/h. If this limit is exceeded, the vehicle will be classified as a motorcycle.
Violations will result in fines ranging from €100 to €500:
€500 – for riding on sidewalks (applies to both electric scooters and bicycles, though exceptions exist for cyclists).
€100 – for riding without a helmet.
Electric scooters are allowed only on bike lanes or secondary streets with a maximum speed limit of 30 km/h. Their use is prohibited on streets with a 50 km/h speed limit.
According to city authorities, the number of electric scooter users has grown four times faster than the number of cyclists since the start of the pandemic. About 44,000 scooter trips are made daily, a significant increase compared to five years ago.
