Madrid has put an abrupt end to the electric scooter boom that’s taken hold in the Spanish capital as it has elsewhere. The three companies operating in the city—Lime, Wind and VOI—have been given 72 hours to be off the streets in the wake of a fatal pedestrian accident.
The death of a 90-year-old woman was apparently the last straw in an ongoing series of complaints about the scooters, which appeared on the streets over the summer before there were regulations to cover them. Police have reported 22 accidents so far, 8 involving pedestrians run over by them.
Other complaints include scooters left willy-nilly, blocking sidewalks, and being operated in banned areas, such as pedestrian sidewalks. Rules in place now limit the scooters to bicycle lanes and to single-lane streets, and their speed to 25 mph. The city is requiring the apps that rent the scooters to be made compliant with the rules.
Council spokespeople said that after Madrid finishes reviewing and updating the regulations, the three companies and others will be free to apply for licenses.
