Over 1,500 e-scooters registered but Govt unsure of total on Gibraltar's roads

A total of 1,526 e-scooters and other Personal Light Electric Transporters (PLETs) have been registered in Gibraltar since the registration system opened in May, although the Government has confirmed it does not know how many are currently being used on local roads.

This means it is unable to establish what proportion of e-scooter users have complied with the registration requirement, which became enforceable on October 1.

In response to questions from the Chronicle, the Government confirmed that riders stopped while using an unregistered PLET will be issued with a fixed penalty notice and instructed to push the vehicle rather than continue riding it.

“The Ministry considers confiscation excessive in the first instance, particularly as many of these users are cross-frontier workers,” a Government spokesperson said.

“Repeat offenders, however, do risk having their PLET confiscated.”

Royal Gibraltar Police officers have access to the registration database and are tasked with checking if a PLET is registered when needed or requested to do so.

Meanwhile, plans to enforce the 25 km/h speed limit using mobile speed cameras still remain dependent on new legislation.

The Minister for Transport, Dr John Cortes, announced in December that draft legislation has been prepared to allow mobile speed cameras to be used to check the speed of PLETs and to give powers to designated enforcement officers to remove and impound any PLET found travelling over 25km/h.

Although the cameras are already in Gibraltar, the necessary legal framework is still being drafted, with the Government aiming to publish the legislation before the end of the year.

In addition, in August this year Dr Cortes told this newspaper that equipment was being obtained to test scooters and establish whether they can exceed the permitted 25kph limit.

The Government also confirmed that there are currently no plans to introduce lower speed limits for privately owned PLETs in areas such as schools, pedestrian-heavy locations or cycle lanes.

However, it said that “Hoppy scooters do have these restrictions.”

Existing enforcement arrangements for e-scooters riding on pavements will continue.

The Government also reiterated that tourists and cross-frontier workers bringing e-scooters/PLETs into Gibraltar are also required to register their them.

Cruise ship operators are also required to register each PLET and are currently doing so through the existing system, the Government said, confirming also that an upgrade allowing bulk registrations is being developed.

Separately, the Government confirmed that proposals to redefine electric scooters and electric bicycles “is in the final stages of discussion within the ministry”.