We, the Clean Cities Campaign (CCC), Micro-Mobility for Europe (MMfE) and the Urban Intergroup of the European Parliament are convinced that there are always constructive ways of addressing the ever-changing mobility needs and that heavily restricting or de-facto banning the use of micro-mobility is not a constructive option. Ultimately, citizens often pay the price and thousands of people lose access to their mobility options. Sustainable micro-mobility is one of the solutions that can help tackle numerous city challenges, including air and noise pollution, and traffic congestion, which is why micro-mobility can be beneficial to all the people living in the city.

In the view of the Clean Cities Campaign (CCC), Micro-Mobility for Europe (MMfE), and the Urban Intergroup of the European Parliament, European cities should adopt a cooperative approach and work on common solutions together with micro-mobility providers. It is a top priority to ensure that citizens can use these services in a safe, orderly manner and according to the rules.

Civil society groups concerned about the dangerous impact of air pollution on everyone’s health, especially vulnerable people and micro-mobility providers are in favour of adopting a clear and consistent set of rules, but, at the same time, believe that cities should refrain from imposing excessively restrictive rules that would have the effect of banning micro-mobility services. Also, it should not be forgotten that for ensuring the safety of road users and granting more order in EU cities, investments in infrastructures are urgently needed. Those investments should aim to take away space from cars in favour of sustainable light and active modes of transport.

That being said, CCC, MMfE and the Urban Intergroup call on local authorities to take an open approach to dialogue and to consider the adoption of a regulatory framework that fosters the uptake of micro-mobility – a sector that has great potential for improving the living conditions of European citizens and for protecting the environment.

Barbara Stoll, director of Clean Cities Campaign said; “Shared micromobility can be an essential part of reducing car use in our cities. It helps close gaps in public transport networks, provide a reliable way to get from A to B even at rushour, and reduce the number of parking places. Of course, micromobility needs to be properly regulated to make good use of scarce public space and to guarantee road safety. Developing smart regulations with civil society and operators is the way to go; de facto bans would only deprive citizens of an important mobility option whilst doing nothing to tackle the main problem in cities: polluting cars.”