Palma town hall's amended regulations for personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) came into force on Friday. The mobility department says that these revised regulations will improve visibility of these vehicles, e.g. electric scooters, and road safety.
Deputy mayor for sustainable mobility, Francesc Dalmau, said that scooters are an "ally" of sustainable mobility but that traffic regulations needed to be updated. These will improve the safety of users and pedestrians, while they will allow scooters to share space on roads and streets with the new 30 kilometre per hour speed limit.
"One of the great changes," Dalmau observed on Friday, "is having transformed Palma into a 30 kph city and making it possible for the likes of scooters, which offer alternatives to cars, to exist on roads". PMVs can be used on the roads with the low speed limits and on cycle lanes at no more than 25 kph. They must travel in the same direction as other traffic.
From now on, lights must be on at all times in order to enhance visibility, while users will have to wear some reflective item of clothing that is at a sufficient height to be visible. Helmets are recommended, as is civil liability insurance. It is prohibited for there to be more than one person on a scooter (or other PMV).
The amendment brings Palma's regulations into line with the definition of PMVs as proposed by the national traffic directorate - vehicles with one wheel or more, a single seat, powered exclusively by electric motors and with a maximum speed (dependent on design) of between six and 25 kilometres per hour.
Since July 2019, Palma has had regulations for PMVs which expressly prohibit them from being used on pavements, in squares, parks or gardens, and in other public spaces that are intended to be for the exclusive use of pedestrians.
The existing regulations also established that PMVs must have a bell, a braking system, lights and approved reflective elements so that they can be seen at a distance of 150 metres. The minimum age for users is fifteen.