Rules for Traffic with Personal Mobility Devices Have Been Established
With legislative changes adopted by the National Assembly of Armenia, traffic regulations for personal mobility devices (electric scooters, electric skateboards, gyroscooters, segways, unicycles, etc.) will be regulated.
The legislative changes specifically establish the following:
- The right to operate personal mobility devices will be granted to individuals over 18 years old, as well as those 16 and older with the right to operate a transport vehicle of the “AM” subcategory. Traffic with personal mobility devices will be permitted on bicycle or bicycle-pedestrian paths, or in designated zones for cyclists. In the absence of these, other legally designated locations may be used.
- Organizations renting personal mobility devices will be required to ensure that these devices cannot exceed a speed of 25 km/h.
- It is prohibited to transport passengers or cargo with personal mobility devices (with the exception of carrying cargo held by the user without the use of hands, such as a backpack).
- Scooters are allowed to travel on the roadway in a single file and are prohibited from being operated in tunnels, on wet surfaces, and similar conditions.
- A fine amounting to five times the minimum wage will be imposed for violations of traffic requirements.
The legislative changes also introduce the definition of “personal mobility device,” which was previously missing in the regulations.
In recent years, due to accidents involving personal mobility devices such as scooters, both drivers and pedestrians have been hospitalized with various injuries. Last year, there was a fatality.
In 2022, the “Heratsi” analytical center summarized the injuries registered in YSMU hospital complexes caused by scooter use. All injured individuals who sought medical attention were adults.