Ministry proposes to prohibit rollerblading on sidewalks, citing safety concerns.
Fresh Take:
Get the lowdown on what's happening with e-scooter rules and regulations in Kazakhstan straight from the mouth of Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Igor Lepaha!
Igor Lepaha spilled the beans on the Mazhilis floor about the need for tougher enforcement against e-scooter riders who zip around on sidewalks at high speeds. He emphasized that local officials, or akims, should be given the power to decide when and where e-scooters are allowed in the city.
"Look, an akim should be able to do stuff like ban e-scooters in a park on Sundays or restrict movement on a busy avenue during rush hour. I know why this provision didn't fly with the deputies, but it's a big frickin' responsibility. We initially wanted to axe e-scooters from sidewalks altogether - extreme, but necessary," he admitted.
In the end, the Mazhilis passed a rule limiting e-scooter speeds on sidewalks to a poky 5 km/h. But Igor Lepaha wasn't impressed, pointing out that this rule hasn't been followed.
"Several folks confessed that we needed these speed restrictions and that the aggregators would take care of it. But nothing's changed. Why aren't there any repercussions for these aggregators? They can do it in Moscow, so why not here? There are zones where e-scooters are slowed down or even banned - like near Red Square. Why won't our aggregators play ball? They said they took responsibility and understand the importance, but they ain't doing squat. Let's revisit this issue," Igor urged.
Yesterday, Igor also weighed in on the matter of number plates on e-scooters in Kazakhstan.
"These ain't gonna be government-issued numbers. Check out Russia, they're ahead of the game, especially in Moscow. They're already using numbers because aggregators slap 'em on the handlebar or frame. Our numbers look like matchboxes," he explained.
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- The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Igor Lepaha, suggested that local officials, or akims, should be granted the power to regulate e-scooters in the transportation industry, such as banning them in public parks on certain days or restricting their use on busy avenues during rush hours.
- Igor Lepaha highlighted the need for stricter finance-related measures, calling for repercussions against aggregators who fail to enforce speed restrictions on e-scooters, pointing out that these measures are already implemented in Moscow's public-transit system.
- In a separate discussion, Igor Lepaha discussed the implementation of number plates on e-scooters in Kazakhstan, noting that unlike in Russia, where number plates are already being used by aggregators, Kazakhstan's number plates resemble matchboxes.
