Regulations for Roller Skating
In the city of Dresden, Germany, e-scooter providers LimeBike Germany GmbH and VOI Technology GmbH have reached agreements with the local authorities for cooperation. These agreements outline specific rules and regulations to ensure a safe and orderly use of e-scooters within the city.
Each provider is permitted to operate up to 833 e-scooters in the city. These vehicles must be parked in designated zones to avoid cluttering public spaces and obstructing pedestrian pathways. Incorrectly parked scooters can lead to administrative actions, typically involving their removal and possible fines.
Certain areas are defined as "red zones," where either parking or riding e-scooters is prohibited to reduce disturbances or ensure safety. Scooters found in these zones may be subject to removal or other regulatory measures, though exact geographic details were not provided in the available information.
The city authorities manage incorrectly parked or misused scooters by removing them and presumably imposing penalties on providers for non-compliance with the agreed regulations. This ensures the scooters do not pose environmental hazards or risks to pedestrian traffic.
The cost of using a scooter from Lime and VOI varies. For Lime, the cost is not specified, but it varies in price. VOI, on the other hand, charges 1 euro to unlock and 20 cents per minute. In Berlin, the current price for unlocking and using a scooter with VOI is 15 cents per minute.
To end a ride, users are required to take a photo of the scooter, allowing the company to check if the user has done everything correctly. The providers also promise to ensure orderly parking and inform users via their app, with the app mandatory for using the scooters. In the app, red zones are marked as no-parking zones, and repeated parking in these areas may result in a fine or account suspension.
It's important to note that a permit for cycling traffic is not automatically granted for e-scooters. According to the federal ministry of transport's ordinance on electric micro-vehicles, e-scooters may only be driven on other traffic areas if the road traffic authority has granted permission through the additional sign "Electric micro-vehicles allowed". Other regulatory signs that have exempted cycling traffic may only be used by e-scooters if this is indicated by the additional sign "Electric micro-vehicles allowed" (cf. § 12 eKFV).
The city of Dresden is in negotiations with more e-scooter providers, expecting three to four in total. Jasmin Rimmele from VOI explains that it is not a problem to lift a scooter aside if it is in the way. LimeBike has already deployed around 200 scooters in Dresden, while VOI is still in the starting blocks.
The number of scooters is not limited in the rest of the city area. However, in the extended city center, a maximum of 2,000 e-scooters are allowed, with a maximum of 300 in the inner city, 700 in the city center, and 1,000 in the extended city center.
In addition, there are seven red zones in Dresden where scooters should not be parked, mainly in tourist areas and around the Golden Rider. Arreola promises that Lime teams are on the road to check if the scooters are parked properly. No detailed excerpts of the cooperation agreements were publicly available, but the main operational and regulatory framework revolves around managing fleet size, controlling parking and pick-up locations, restricting certain zones, and enforced administrative measures for non-compliance.
As the e-scooter rental license for Lime expires at the end of July 2025, providers like VOI and Bolt take over with more vehicles and stricter rules in place to address public complaints about clutter and safety.
Smart-home devices such as gadgets controlled by technology could be an integral part of the city's future, ensuring a safe and orderly parking of e-scooters within designated zones in Dresden. By using smart-home technology, e-scooters could be remotely moved from red zones or improper parking spots, reducing clutter and ensuring compliance with city regulations.
Moreover, the city authorities could implement smart-home devices to assess fines for scooters left in prohibited areas, offering a more automated solution that minimizes human intervention for non-compliance. This integration of technology would not only enhance the efficiency of managing e-scooter usage but also contribute to a cleaner and safer environment in the city of Dresden.
