electric skates they have ceased to be a means of relaxation and are firmly included in our daily lives. movements. Two fatal accidents in Paro And in Mykonosof which skate riders are victims, re-highlight the need for increased training and awareness of drivers – both conventional vehicles and skates themselves, better organization of “micromobility” at the city level, as well as better police, as well as rules they exist but are not observed.

Electric skates appeared in our country in the middle of the last decade, thanks to leasing companies. But now there has been an important change. “In the beginning, skates were a form of recreation, something you rented to skate. But this is slowly changing. Electric skates are becoming a means of everyday transportation, replacing the car, public transport, cycling or walking,” explains Mr. Socrates Bashbas, Professor of the Department of Agronomists-Topographers AUTI. “In Thessaloniki, for example, you will find electric skates not only on the beach or in the center, but throughout the city. This points us to the second major change that has taken place: more people are buying than renting.”

In 2021 Hellas it has included electric scooters and bicycles in its legislation in an attempt to establish rules in an area that was previously unregulated. As stated in Law 4784, these vehicles must travel between 6 km and 25 km and not drive on roads where the speed limit exceeds 50 km, and the use of helmets is mandatory. “However, the legislation was not properly communicated and not properly monitored,” Mr. Manos Bruzas, Technical Director of the Institute for Road Safety “Panos Mylonas”. “Many people still consider them a toy – it is customary to give e-skates to children when children under 15 years of age are prohibited from using them by law. Also, we often see skates outside urban centers, on roads where the speed exceeds 50 km. It is very risky to drive on a country road without lighting at night. In general, electric skate users need to understand that the environment gives them some opportunities, but also has limitations. Their small wheels, for example, make potholes very dangerous.”

Electric scooters are becoming a means of everyday transportation, but the infrastructure and appropriate framework for their protection are lacking.

In some cities, such as Trikala, an increase bicycles also protects skates. “Drivers here know that there are a lot of bikes or roller skates around, and they pay attention. But this is not the case in big cities. In most of them, the electric scooter is dangerous because the drivers are not paying attention and the roads are “patched up,” says the mayor of Trikkay and the chairman of the Central Union of Municipalities. Dimitris Papastergiou.

Today, the number of electric skates in Greece exceeds 60,000. The term “micromobility” has become the subject of public debate. “Electrification has not necessarily made skates and bicycles more dangerous. And on a regular bike, you can develop great speed in the conditions, ”explains Mr. Kosmas Anagnostopoulos, Coordinator of the CIVINET Greece-Cyprus network. “Electrification got more people into skating and cycling, it made them more massive. However, neither bicycles nor electric cars have found their place in our cities. We have neither the appropriate infrastructure nor the appropriate base for the use of public space. I was recently in Leuven, Belgium where there are no bike lanes in the center but 40% use bikes because traffic and parking IX was limited. Here, when you get into such a vehicle on the highway, you risk your life. On the other hand, if more and more people don’t use it like a bicycle, mayors won’t be forced to change our cities. Attention is needed … and assertiveness.

“There is still no education in the field of transport in our country,” Mr. George Karras, managing director of electric skate rental company Hope Greece Technology. “While skateboarding is the most practical and sustainable way to get around, you will see people going the other way on one-way streets, walking up sidewalks. But COC applies to everyone.”

“Riders of bicycles and inline skaters, like pedestrians, are the most vulnerable users of public space,” says Mr. Bashbasy. “The law creates a general framework – but is it enough? In my opinion, in order to create a safer environment for everyone, we must reduce the speed limit in cities for all vehicles to 30 km, as many European cities have done. At the same time, drivers themselves must be aware that electric scooters are vehicles belonging to motorized traffic, and not a way to avoid traffic jams. The recent referendum against electric scooters in Paris is a wake-up call that we must provide space for micromobility.”

Draft rules in Thessaloniki

Tanya Georgiopolu

The popularity of electric skates in Athena And Thessaloniki significantly decreased compared to their first appearance on the streets of two metropolitan areas in the period before the coronavirus pandemic. OUR Municipality of Athens from the start, he was wary of companies that rented out electric skates by the hour. “We received applications from companies, but since the skates were not licensed, we considered them dangerous,” says “K” deputy mayor of the municipal police Vassilis Koromantos. Very often they develop high speed and cannot be controlled, as they do not have a registration number. However, there is a company in Thessaloniki that provides electric skates for a limited time via an app, but it seems that they are mainly used by tourists, since, as the deputy mayor for e-government of the municipality states, Michalis Kupkas, “those residents who use them for commuting have bought their own.” The Municipality of Thessaloniki is working on a draft regulation for the circulation of electric skates, which, however, has not yet been approved by the municipal council. Among other things, it stipulates that skates cannot be left near traffic lights, on a ramp for the disabled, or closer than 30 meters from the sea. As Mr. Kupkas points out, “many skates ended up in Thermaikos.”