Italy: Rome’s new off-limits areas for electric scooters

Rome: Electric scooters are everywhere in Rome, particularly in the city centre, and are increasingly popular with commuters seeking to get from A to B in the shortest possible time.

They are also popular with young people who like to race each other, often with two people on board, particularly along Via dei Fori Imperiali and Via del Corso.

Both racing and carrying passengers is prohibited, with Rome’s traffic police doing their best to halt this behaviour.

Now the city is trying to clamp down on the “wild” way the scooters are being parked – often in the middle of pavements or right in front of important historic sites.

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi has championed the rental e-scooters ever since their arrival, which coincided with the start of the covid-19 emergency, and hails the electric vehicles as a green, clean alternative to private cars and public transport.

Rome traffic police stop scooter races outside the Colosseum on Saturday 7 November. Photo Wanted in Rome.

However the mayor’s patience is wearing thin at the way the scooters are “parked” – abandoned, sometimes even thrown – wherever users feel like. Not any more, says Raggi.

From now on, people using the scooters will be prohibited from parking them in “front of monuments and in prestigious areas” such as Piazza Venezia, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Trilussa, Via del Corso, Piazza Navona, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Pantheon.

Users will be able to check on the scooters’ apps both the restricted areas and spaces where parking is allowed. “Everyone must respect the rules” – says Raggi – “Otherwise penalties will be applied.”