While no agreement has been reached on this yet, more progress has been made with regard to parking zones and a few other aspects of e-scooter hire.

The discussions relate primarily to short-term e-scooter rental companies rather than to private e-scooter owners.

Since current legislation does not grant local governments the authority to regulate the speed of e-scooters, speed limits have to be agreed on with rental companies.

In Tallinn, by far the largest municipality, the city government is not willing to accept a "no" from the rental firms, meaning Bolt and Tuul.

Deputy Mayor Vladimir Svet said: "We believe that ultimately, companies operating in our market will come to their senses and comply with these agreements."

"Our understanding is very simple: Either we can agree among ourselves on how to organize the service in a way which doesn't endanger pedestrians, or society will start demanding stricter limitations and call for the Paris scenario, where electric scooters were banned outright," said Svet.

The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) meanwhile confirmed to ERR that agreement has been met on e-scooter speed limits, which can be controlled via GPS location, in the center of Tallinn.

Taavi Kirss, head of the PPA's Traffic Enforcement Department said that: "We find that 20 kilometers per hour is a sufficient maximum speed."

"In some European countries, speeds have been set even lower, taking into consideration traffic density. Speeds have been reduced in places where different types of traffic intersect, ie. where accidents could occur more frequently."

"A few years ago, I visited Oslo, where the speed limit in their old town zone had already been reduced to 8 kilometers per hour. I'm not saying it should be eight in the case of Tallinn, but the fact is it needs to be reduced, especially in densely populated zones, and especially where there are no separate cycle lanes. Our expectation is that scooters should always ride on cycle paths or lanes, and not on the sidewalks," he went on, adding that e-scooters can also travel on side streets without their being any issues connected with other traffic.

Deputy Mayor, Svet said that any "competitive game" and mutual accusations between the two main e-scooter rental companies bear no relation to the real world. Together with the PPA, Tallinn is clearly in favor of limiting the speed of scooters, he said.

Disputes between Bolt and Tuul have reached the media after Tuul rejected a Bolt proposal to set the e-scooter speed limit in downtown Tallinn at 20 kilometers per hour.

"The reality is that both the city of Tallinn and the PPA strongly support limiting the speed of e-scooters. The reason is that they sometimes move too quickly in zones where pedestrians are present, putting them at risk. Our view is a black-and-white one. There's no room for weighing up the pros and cons on this."

Additionally, Tallinn aims to organize scooter parking more effectively, expanding designated zones in the city center in which e-scooters can be parked.

Taavi Kirss at the PPA said that e-scooters should not be banned outright. "The police are not against new solutions, but they should come with ideas and solutions that ensure security and safety," he said.

Vladimir Svet suggested he state give local governments the authority to regulate e-scooter speeds and parking via legislation, as has been done in many European countries, including neighboring Latvia. "But we feel that scooter companies are such skilled lobbyists that, so far, the legislature has not been able to pass any normal act giving local governments the authority to regulate."

A city-wide speed limit is not necessary; instead, the best solution would be to differentiate speed limits by area, he added.

For instance, Pirita tee, Reidi tee or the Viljandi mnt and Järvevana cycle lanes could accommodate speeds of perhaps up to 25 kilometers per hour.

In central areas, in areas close to schools and kindergartens, and in places where e-scooter riders have no alternative but to ride on sidewalks, the limit could be 15 kilometers per hour or even less, Svet said.

Bolt automatically cuts the speed of rented e-scooters in such areas in any case. Top speeds can also be affected by factors like a scooter's condition and battery charge, the body mass of the rider etc.

Regulating the number of e-scooters may be discussed in the future if needed, the deputy mayor added.

The city and the rental firms at least agree about parking zones in the capital; these zones will be expanded to include the Raua, Torupilli, and Kadriorg districts and the Telliskivi quarter, Svet said, and may be expanded further still.

Using such zones can lead to a discount on future rentals, while in central Tallinn in particular there are areas – which can be located via the smartphone app – in which an e-scooter cannot be parked or left after use, without incurring a fine at least.

The parking zones sometimes also double up as recharging stations.

Agreement has also been reached with Bolt and Tuul to prohibit leaving scooters at the over 1,200 bus stops in the capital, Svet added, while over time this no-parking zone may expand to a few meters around a bus stop. In any case agreement exists on this principle, Svet said.

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