– One is equally surprised every time. Because you never know where they stand, says Sølvi Ørstenvik. She goes to work in Sandefjord every day. Previously, the walk was something she enjoyed, but now the walk has become something the visually impaired 62-year-old dreads. For Sølvi and other blind people, electric scooters create fear and anxiety. Photo: Theo Aasland Valen / news Almost every single day she trips over a scooter parked on the pavement. – Last Monday, I think I managed to squeeze myself into five pieces, says Ørstenvik. After the electric scooters came to the city, Ørstenvik has felt a sense of uneasiness about moving out in the cityscape. – I see that someone saw them in the middle of the road, so I understand why people react. It’s not that difficult to put them a little out of the way, says Mara Mikkelsen. She often uses an electric scooter in Sandefjord, but says she always parks in the area set aside for parking. Mara Mikkelsen is among those who use scooters in the city. Photo: Theo Aasland Valen / news Critical to the municipalities A survey from the Institute of Transport Economics finds that two out of three people with impaired vision or hearing feel unsafe in the face of an electric scooter rider. Many people also skip tours in the cityscape because of electric scooters. Have you experienced a problem with a spare bike in the road? Yes, I get annoyed by this every day! No, never a problem. Occasionally. Show result Ørstenvik would like the municipality to tackle the problem more and get support from the Norwegian Federation of the Blind. – The municipalities must tighten up when it comes to parking, says union leader Terje André Olsen. In June 2021, a new law came into place which allows municipalities to regulate the use of electric scooters. The Norwegian Federation of the Blind believes that the municipalities are too lazy. – I think it took a long time to get the legislation in place, and I think it will take a long time for the municipalities to put it into use, says Olsen. Terje André Olsen is head of the Norwegian Federation of the Blind. Photo: Tom-Egil Jensen / Tom-Egil Jensen Wants stricter punishment The debate around electric scooters has raged in several large cities. Oslo and Trondheim have struggled with bicycles that stand in the way of people in the cityscape. Now the problem has started to spread to smaller towns. The Association for the Blind believes that the municipalities must give sanctions to companies that rent out scooters. If possible, people who park incorrectly should also be fined. – In Drammen, the municipality tows in wrongly parked e-bikes, and the operators also have to pay a fee to get them out, says Olsen. Drammen municipality has also introduced a fee if people park electric bicycles incorrectly. Sandefjord municipality has no plans to issue fines to cork companies or people at the present time. – We have a regulation that says that the company must clean up bicycles that are in the way. Then we have to follow up that it is done, says Philip Karlsen who is operations manager in Sandefjord municipality. Philip Karlsen in Sandefjord municipality. – How bad does it have to get before they issue fines? – If the company is unable to handle the clean-up in a satisfactory manner, then we will look at the possibility of imposing a fine, says Karlsen. Encourages people to register bicycles In the first instance, Sandefjord municipality will consider setting restrictions on where people can park their bicycles. They will use the summer to get an overview of the problem. Sølvi Ørsteinvik hopes people will report if they come across scooters blocking pavements or other traffic in the cityscape. – It’s quick that people get used to the fact that this is a problem, and they also don’t report it, says the 62-year-old.
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