Electric mopeds spark a wave of complaints in Tallinn

New Ride Mobility rental mopeds in the capital have drawn several complaints within their first six days of operation, mainly related to riding on sidewalks and use by underage riders. The city government plans to standardize restrictions for all types of rental light vehicles.
Although Sunday's weather was rainy and mopeds were mostly seen parked throughout the city, the first week of the new rental vehicles has brought a number of complaints.
"We've definitely received such reports," confirmed Elari Kasemets, head of Tallinn Municipal Police (MuPo). "By Friday, there were around ten such notifications and just as many more came in over the weekend."
"The problems are largely the same: parking on sidewalks, which obstructs pedestrian movement; riding on sidewalks, which shouldn't be happening at all, and naturally, a few additional issues. We've seen minors riding, people riding with passengers and even some reports of mopeds being parked on green spaces," Kasemets said.
Social media lit up almost as red as the small mopeds themselves. Users posted photos showing vehicle misuse and also discussed broader shortcomings.
Police intervened in two cases over the weekend where mopeds were being used by minors.
The app does not verify users' age.
"When you download the app, it doesn't check the user's age. Somewhere it's written that the service is only for those 18 and older, but user profiles are verified only via phone number," said Dmitri Kondrakov, a representative of a Facebook group.
The company Ride Mobility declined to comment to "Aktuaalne kaamera" news on Sunday.
Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) said the company is working on implementing age restrictions.
"That issue surfaced right from day one and the company promised to implement stricter requirements in their registration process to ensure that users are truly 18 or older," Järvan said.
Currently, rental light vehicles are subject to different parking zones and speed limits. Tallinn plans to introduce a harmonizing regulation to unify the rules.
"Just like you see in the city center — those designated parking squares where light vehicles must be parked. So far, this has been based on a voluntary agreement. Now we're going to formalize it through regulation. Another example is speed limit zones. For instance, in the city center, all rental light vehicles are limited to 25 kilometers per hour, and in the Old Town, there are even stricter limits," said Järvan.
Riding a small moped on the sidewalk is not allowed. These vehicles must be used on the roadway, at the edge of the road or on a bike path. According to Järvan, mixed-use areas where pedestrians and cyclists share space pose the biggest risk. One option under consideration is converting those roads fully into pedestrian zones.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Valner Väino