The combination of electric scooters and emergency missions in Oslo has become a major concern for the emergency services in the capital. They fear serious consequences, and ask people to think better about it.
Anesthesiologist at Oslo University Hospital, Lars Wik, believes the traffic situation has deteriorated dramatically.
Want even stricter rules for the use of electric scooters: – It happens so fast
– I am very worried that we will get into a situation where we ride on someone who comes on an electric scooter. It is a growing problem that electric scooters come out from all possible places when we are on call. The traffic picture has changed quite dramatically in recent years due to this.
Must slow down
As a result, Wik and his colleagues have had to slow down when they are on call in central Oslo.
– The complexity of the whole emergency has become much, much greater. In order to maintain our own and others’ safety in traffic, we then have to slow down. And we know that for every minute that passes in reduced arrival has something to say, for example in the context of cardiac arrest, the probability of survival is reduced by ten percent. So this is not something we can just ignore.
He adds that he is not so sure that electric kick cyclists are aware of the danger they may actually be exposed to when they meet the emergency services in an emergency.
Ambulance personnel report near-accidents where they have had to maneuver away so as not to run on electric park cyclists. Wik believes it is only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs between an emergency vehicle and an electric scooter.
Pregnant Uzoma (29) was hit by an electric scooter: – He just drove on
– Yes, I say it as clearly as that. It’s just a matter of time. And now we do not have to wait until the first one is seriously injured before we do anything about it. Use your head, it is possible also in this situation to do so, urges the anesthesiologist.
– Someone will be killed soon
The head of operations in the Oslo police, Kjell Jan Kverme, is also sure that it is only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs.
– Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before someone is killed when they are out on an electric scooter.
He says that the police often have to slow down and drive calmer than they would otherwise have done due to electric kick cyclists who alternate between driving on the road and the sidewalk.
– In addition, both I and other patrols have had to get out of the police car to remove scooters that are in the road where we are going to drive. Unfortunately, this greatly delays our emergency response time. For the person who needs help at the other end, it can be critical.
– PEOPLE BEARING TO SHARP: Jørgen Lie, operations manager in the fire service (left) and Kjell Jan Kverme, operations manager in the police. Photo: Truls Aagedal / TV 2
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– Must brake more frequently
The head of operations in the fire service in Oslo, Jørgen Lie, says that there is a growing frustration among him and his colleagues that they feel hindered on their way to what can be life-saving assignments.
– We experience that the electric kick cyclists are very unpredictable. At one moment they are pedestrians, and suddenly they are out in the road. And if there is a red light, then they drive another way. They become a kind of hybrid between pedestrians, cyclists and ordinary vehicles. For us, it is very challenging to focus on them and to anticipate where they are going.
The task leader emphasizes that many electric kick cyclists are good, but that some have a lot to do.
– In our industry, it is about seconds, and it is of course frustrating when we start to brake more frequently, so it goes a bit at the expense of seconds in some cases, says Lie.
These are the new rules:
- The number of small electric vehicles that can be rented out is 8000, and is distributed to the players who receive a permit upon application.
- Requirements for spreading the vehicles in four zones in the city, which roughly follow the ring roads.
- The offer must be closed at night between 23 – 05.
- The municipality has the option of introducing zones with a ban on use and / or parking, or speed limits. The zones can be introduced at any time during the permit period, and can be temporary or permanent.
- “Quiet time” for electric scooters. Alarm functions with sound must be switched off between 20 and 07 night to weekdays, and between kl. 20 and 09 night for Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
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He says that he himself has experienced unfortunate situations with an electric scooter during an emergency.
– I have been on board fire trucks where we have had to stop abruptly because an electric scooter suddenly got in the way. So we are a little more vigilant in these times, and maybe a little more defensive when we drive around, especially in Kvadraturen in the center, where there are, among other things, one-way streets where electric scooters come in the opposite direction.
Shares the concern
Richard Kongsteien, Director of Communications at the Urban Environment Agency in Oslo, shares the concern of the emergency services.
– We understand the concern well, and we share it. It is also one of the reasons why we are now drastically reducing the number of scooters. In central Oslo, the number goes from 25,000 to 8,000 scooters. So hopefully it will help to make the traffic picture a little clearer.
At the same time, he is crystal clear that it is first and foremost the responsibility of electric park cyclists.
– This is an individual responsibility. People need to use their heads, even when they are on scooters.
– Now the new regulations will soon come into force. Is it sufficient, or should more be done politically?
– The honest answer is that we do not know. We believe that a drastic reduction will contribute well to safety and accessibility in Oslo, in addition there is also a limit to how many scooters can be in the inner center, so that it will be a completely different experience of accessibility in the city.
– SHARES THE CONCERN: Richard Kongsteien, Director of Communications at the Urban Environment Agency. Photo: Simen Askjer / TV 2
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– But if it is sufficient, it is difficult to answer. This is still a new phenomenon, and now we have finally got a law that we can write a regulation so that we can start regulating this market. But we will probably change that regulation as we gain experience.
Kongsteien says that the municipality is following the situation.
– As a municipality, we have a responsibility for accessibility in the city, there is no doubt about that. But it is important to emphasize that the individual responsibility here is the greatest. Everyone who uses an electric scooter must adapt to the traffic picture and take into account that an emergency vehicle can also enter the roadway. So we continue to work for accessibility, not least for the blue light services, but people must also be involved in taking responsibility here.
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