Among users of personal mobility devices, a rather noticeable category has stood out. They look like teenagers, they ride electric scooters, often in groups, speed up, maneuver dangerously, and ride on the rear wheel. Many wear helmets and other protective gear. And it is about them—or rather, about how they ride—that readers complain to us more and more often.

Little pranks have become a big problem

Several readers at once describe a situation typical of this summer in Novaya Borovaya, known for its developed infrastructure, including a network of bike paths.

“We have some kind of maximum concentration of young children moving around on scooters at enormous speeds. Their riding style is simply disgusting and dangerous. It has become unsafe to move around the area, and this applies to everyone: pedestrians, children, dogs, just everyone!” writes one reader.

“Teenagers—by the look of it, not even high schoolers, but boys around 13–14. They gather in groups of 5–7 people and race around. They have scooters, some quite large and powerful, but importantly, these are not rental models but personal ones. That is, their parents bought them, as one might assume. And these kids in motorcycle helmets (some in protective body armor) start doing tricks: riding on the rear wheel, weaving, sharply braking with a spin. Their special flair is to ride so that the side of the scooter literally scrapes along the asphalt or paving tiles—sparks and all that. On the asphalt, of course, marks remain. And all this happens on the sidewalk, where people walk. It’s really scary. I’m an adult, a fairly big guy, but even I flinch when these kids whiz past. And anything could happen—if someone just happens to be in their path, it’ll be trouble,” adds another reader.

A separate category is people on pit bikes. The purpose of such vehicles is riding on closed tracks and off-road. But someone decided that high-speed races can also be held on sidewalks.

Recently, the problem has reached a new level. Young people on scooters no longer have enough bike paths and sidewalks; they are increasingly being spotted on roadways.

“Yesterday around 10 p.m., scooter riders in helmets were racing along the roadway. By their voices, the kids were about 5th–6th grade. They were flying at enormous speed right next to moving cars. The scooters were their own; the speed was such that you couldn’t say anything or do anything. All that remains is to pray for the kids, passersby, and drivers,” they wrote in the neighborhood chat.

— I have a question for the parents of these children: don't you see what's happening? Or are you waiting for something to happen that can no longer be fixed? Your kids are riding wheelies, wearing helmets themselves, but they don't care about others! — notes our reader. — For now it's just unclear what to do: complain to the traffic police, to the police — will anyone go looking for these teenagers? But it's already obvious to everyone that this won't end well.

Novaya Borovaya is not the only one suffering. We have received similar complaints from residents of the Vogue residential complex, Mayak Minska, and from other districts of the capital.

Updated

The problem has not yet found a solution. Readers are sending new videos from surveillance cameras: groups of young people on PMDs — with and without helmets — prefer the roadway for getting around.

Accident at a pedestrian crossing

On September 8, an accident occurred at a pedestrian crossing near the intersection of Leonardo da Vinci and Aviatsionnaya streets in Kopishche. A person on an electric scooter did not dismount and collided with a car that had started moving. The scooter rider fell. According to our readers, after that he crashed into a mother walking along the sidewalk with a child.

An ambulance was at the scene after the accident.

And what about the traffic rules?

According to the Traffic Rules (clause 2.60-1), a personal mobility device is a vehicle with one or more wheels (rollers) and a maximum design speed of no more than 25 km/h, intended for moving one person through the use of an electric motor (electric motors). Persons moving on personal mobility devices are equated to cyclists, taking into account the specifics provided for by these Rules.

A driver of a personal mobility device is prohibited from (clause 156-1):

moving in a populated area at a speed exceeding 10 km/h, except when moving on bicycle paths or the roadway, when this is permitted in accordance with clause 148 of these Rules;

if under fourteen years of age, operating a personal mobility device on the road without being accompanied by an adult (except in residential zones);

moving in a pedestrian zone;

turning left or making a U-turn on a road with tram tracks, and on a road with more than one lane for traffic in a given direction;

moving on a sidewalk if the mass of the personal mobility device exceeds 35 kg;

leaving personal mobility devices in places where this creates obstacles for the movement of other road users.

Familiar with the situation? Write to us: pv@onliner.by or t.me/vitpetrovich.