At the Cai Tang intersection on Lyu Ling Road, there is a chaotic scene of electric scooters running red lights.
Overloaded electric scooters.
Electric scooters driving against traffic.
On Hu Li Avenue, motorcycle taxis carrying passengers and driving against traffic.
Motorcycle taxis and electric scooters driving against traffic.
In An Dou Community, severely overloaded motorcycle taxis.
Should electric scooters be banned? This is a thorny old issue, and an urgent one that urban transportation must face. Since exposing issues with electric scooters, many readers have called our newspaper at 968820, offering their opinions and suggestions. Whether supporting or opposing the ban on electric scooters, they have all put forward some quite constructive views.
[Suggestion 1] Road killers, must be strictly prohibited
The reckless electric scooters indeed make many citizens extremely resentful. "Electric scooters are just 'silent killers'!" Reader Ms. Wang said that electric scooters make no sound when traveling, making it difficult for pedestrians to notice them, especially when getting off a bus, an electric scooter can suddenly dart out, leaving no time to react. She feels that there are problems with the design of electric scooters themselves. "The body is light, prone to tipping over, the battery can easily fall out, it has the speed of a motorcycle, but safety measures cannot keep up." She also mentioned that in some small tunnels with poor lighting, electric scooters pass without turning on their lights, which is also dangerous. "With so many problems, how do we solve them? There should be a complete ban."
Reader Mr. Zhong said that now the sidewalks are mixed with pedestrians, bicycles, and electric scooters, and the most dangerous ones are the electric scooters. "During the rush hour after work, the sidewalk is almost impossible to walk on. Electric scooters need to be regulated." He said that electric scooters are light and convenient, making it easier for them to run red lights, drive against traffic, and cross recklessly. "To let traffic police catch violators on-site every day, I think it's not realistic, but they can't be held accountable like cars either. So basically, electric scooters have no cost for violations. If they aren't banned, chaos will definitely ensue."
[Suggestion 2] Standardized management, reasonable guidance
"Renovators, food delivery workers, couriers, many of them use electric scooters. If they are banned, what other means of transportation could they switch to?" Reader Mr. Huang proposed that as a convenient mode of transportation, the demand for electric scooters objectively exists, and probably cannot be stopped by a simple ban. "Electric scooters are green products; the state allows their production. To ban them, it shouldn't be a complete prohibition but rather targeted at those that exceed standards."
But how to curb the traffic violations of electric scooters? Regarding this, reader Mr. Zhang offered further suggestions. "Xiamen city is relatively small, and it's not possible to reopen dedicated lanes for electric scooters or bicycles, so restricted travel sections should be defined, at least preserving some legal driving space for electric scooters." He also suggested adopting practices from other cities, allowing electric scooters to be registered, and conducting training similar to obtaining a driver’s license for cars regarding traffic rules. "Registration facilitates management, so electric scooters won't violate traffic laws so recklessly." He said that in response to problems and potential risks, simply shouting for bans and killing everything with one stroke may suggest laziness in governance. Combining疏导 (guidance) and blocking is a better way out.
Actually, among the readers who support banning electric scooters, some hold "reservation opinions" about registering electric scooters. Mr. Zhong said that if electric scooters aren't banned, registration is necessary, and the government must be able to "control" them, establishing a systematic mechanism akin to managing car violations.
[Related News]
Motorcycle taxis waiting in line for customers, specifically exploiting gaps in traffic police enforcement.