Laurence Dollimore
THIS is the moment an e-scooter rider was filmed carrying a door and huge slats of wood on the base of his two-wheeled vehicle in southern Spain.
The viral video is alleged to have been recorded in San Fernando, Cadiz, in the southernmost region of Andalucia.
The scooter rider is a middle-aged man sporting three-quarter length shorts, a stripey t-shirt and blue baseball cap.
He can be seen travelling in between cars on his scooter while trying to balance the large number of items perched on the electric vehicle by his feet.
He is then seen taking on a roundabout, as travellers in the car behind him record a video on their mobile phones.
It comes after new laws were introduced against e-scooters in Andalucia on January 1 this year.
Spearheaded by the local Ministry of Development, Planning and Housing, the law follows similar restrictions across Spain.
It sees e-scooters banned on public transport such as metros, buses and boats.
The ban is a temporary measure designed to protect citizens after numerous fires on public transport as a result of e-scooter batteries.
It will remain in place until the devices are deemed safe.
According to the Ministry, the decision was motivated by the National Traffic Department’s (DGT) move to only allow the sale of certified ‘Personal Travel Vehicles’ (VMP).
The law adde that from January 21, new e-scooters would need to be certified before going to market.
Currently, e-scooters are unregulated, prompting safety concerns from officials.
Any sold before that date can still be used, until a provisional date of 2027.
The new laws followed two reports into e-sccoter safety from Sevilla’s transport network and the Universidad de Sevilla.
The latter concluded ‘the safety of passengers is most important’ and recommended that bans ‘remain in place until the risks disappear’ with further regulation.
Over a year and a half the report found ‘a not insignificant number of dangerous incidents caused by Personal Travel Vehicles.’
Andalucia is not the first area to implement such a ban.
Spanish rail company, Renfe, has recently prohibited passengers bringing the devices on trains, including Cordoba’s metro network.
Madrid, Barcelona and Mallorca have also banned the devices on all public transport, while Valencia has prohibited them on trains.
The devices are also banned on other European transport systems, including the London Underground.
