Sidewalk Usage Fees Could Be Enforced Through Kicksharing Participation
Revised Article:
Meet the latest initiative in Ekaterinburg's Duma to impact kick-scooter companies:
Several hey-hooers in the Ekaterinburg Duma are throwing the idea of making the big three - "Yurent", Whoosh, and "Yandex" - cough up dough for using city property into the ol' budget pot.
"You see, these kick-scooter companies are skating through life on city sidewalks and parking lots, but they ain't forking over a dime. The city, on the other hand, shells out the big bucks to maintain these sidewalks and build new ones. That strikes me as a raw deal. Why shouldn't these businesses pony up for the privilege of treading on our public spaces? Money could be put towards constructing bike lanes, setting up designated scooter parking, and other nifty infrastructure benefits." That's Deputy Denis Khavantsov, an integral part of the interdepartmental working group working on regulating street electric scooters, talking to "Novy Day".
Kick-scooter companies ain't just ho-ho-holding hands with city authorities; they're throwing elbows! When asked about a complete ban on scooter rentals in Ekaterinburg, city honchos are keeping their cards close to their chest. However, these policymakers are primed to slap fines on scofflaws who leave their scooters in precarious places - a welcome change for pedestrians, surely. Although no formal talks about these fines have taken place yet, deputy Denis Khavantsov hints that the Ekaterinburg Duma is cooking up a legislative initiative for the Sverdlovsk Region's Legislative Assembly in the coming days.
"Here's the tea: kick-scooter companies are breaking the agreement they struck with the city administration. These companies plead technical difficulties as their reason for barefooting the bill. Fines are the kettle of fish that'll make all the trouble stop," Deputy Khavantsov mused.
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- Deputy Denis Khavantsov suggests that kick-scooter companies, including "Yurent", Whoosh, and "Yandex", should pay a fee for using city property, such as sidewalks and parking lots, to help fund infrastructure improvements like bike lanes and designated scooter parking.
- The Ekaterinburg Duma is considering a legislative initiative to address the issue of kick-scooter companies not adhering to agreements with city authorities and potentially fining scofflaws who leave their scooters in precarious places.
- Kick-scooter companies have been accused of breaking their agreements with the city administration and not paying their fair share for the use of city property, with fines being proposed as a solution to the problem.
- Readers can stay updated on the latest developments in Ekaterinburg's city politics and initiatives by following esteemed journalist Valentina Yaroslavtseva on the Dzen platform or by subscribing to the RIA "Novy Day" channels on Dzen and YouTube.
