[Report] "I Almost Fell" Electric Scooter 'Illegal Parking' Causes Pedestrian Inconvenience

Electric Scooter Parking Practically Unregulated in Various Spots
Some Citizens Nearly Tripped Over Them
Local Governments "Striving to Minimize Complaints Related to Free-Floating"

On the morning of the 2nd, electric scooters are parked around Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul. They are placed in the middle of the sidewalk, causing inconvenience to pedestrians. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon, Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] # Office worker A recently almost tripped over a shared electric scooter parked collapsed in the middle of a sidewalk in India. A said, "I feel like I see shared electric scooters that are not properly parked about once a day while walking," adding, "There have been more than a few times when I almost fell while walking on the street or felt awkward because electric scooters were parked in spaces where cars should be parked."

On the morning of the 2nd, two scooters were left alone on a sidewalk in the Euljiro area of Jung-gu, Seoul. Although it inevitably obstructed pedestrian traffic, there was no entity managing scooter parking, so people were walking around the scooters instead.

While scooters are convenient and good to use, concerns arise that parking issues after use may cause inconvenience to others.

B, a man in his 30s who felt obstructed by the disorderly parked scooters, pointed out, "It would be nice if they were neatly parked on one side, but there seem to be very few people who do that." He added, "Who would properly organize them after just using them briefly?" expressing frustration.

Shared electric scooters parked on the street near Myeongdong Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. Despite signs indicating that motorcycles should not be parked on pedestrian paths, shared electric scooters are still parked there. Photo by Seulgi Kim, Intern Reporter sabiduriakim@asiae.co.kr

The reason why used scooters obstruct pedestrian traffic is that they are returned using a free-floating method, where users park them anywhere conveniently right after use.

This return method raises concerns not only about obstructing pedestrian traffic but also about potential safety accidents, both big and small.

C, a man in his 30s, said, "I was walking looking straight ahead and almost tripped over a fallen scooter handle." He added, "It was nighttime at the time, so the scooter might not have been visible, but it is the user's fault for not parking properly in the first place," expressing anger.

D, a man in his 20s, said, "Not only are scooters parked carelessly, but sometimes they also pass quickly on the sidewalk, which is quite inconvenient for pedestrians." He emphasized, "I also use scooters occasionally, but from the perspective of those who do not use them, parking and other issues seem to cause inconvenience."

Some scooters were even placed in vehicle parking lots, obstructing parking. A delivery vehicle driver complained, "Sometimes scooters are left in the parking lot, and it's awkward to move them, so vehicles just avoid them when parking. It's inconvenient."

A shared electric scooter parked on the street near Myeongdong Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. A delivery worker complained, "It is difficult to park because of this electric scooter." Photo by Seulgi Kim, Intern Reporter sabiduriakim@asiae.co.kr

As scooters have practically become urban eyesores due to parking issues such as the return method after use, local governments are trying various methods, including signing business agreements, to solve problems related to free-floating.

An official from the Future Transportation Strategy Team of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Transportation Policy Division said, "Complaints related to free-floating are continuously coming in, so we are promoting business agreements with shared electric scooter companies," adding, "We will sign agreements that can reduce complaints caused by free-floating and provide guidelines to district offices."

The official added, "We plan to introduce common measures with companies, such as requiring users to submit photos of how they parked when returning scooters or penalizing users who return scooters while they are knocked over."