Electric scooters are a rare sight in Adlershof
We look at why
Electric scooters were officially made legal in Germany in June 2019. Since then, they have become all the rage but also the subject of much heated debate. They quickly became an everyday part of life in the city centre but are still a rare sight in Adlershof. Why is that and how could it change?
Riding his e-scooter saves Patrick Stüwe a full hour every day. That’s all he needs to know, he says. Every morning, he cruises down bike paths and roads from the entrance to his flat on Gross-Berliner Damm to S-Bahn station Adlershof. Upon arrival, he simply folds his wheels together and gets on the train. ‘Like a bike, it’s included in the ticket. That’s why I bought this scooter. Absolutely worth it.’ He points to the 116 kilometres on his mileage counter. After getting off at the city centre, his scooter takes 5 minutes for what used to be a 20-minute walk. An ideal solution for Patrick Stüwe. In Adlershof, however, he is the only scooter driver to be seen for miles.
‘It’s kind of a pity,’ says Olaf Meier from Adlershof’s Health Network, ‘because electric scooters are actually ideal for the less busy parts of town. But we don’t yet have enough charging stations like Schöneberg, Mitte, or Kreuzberg.’ As the health expert of the Techniker Krankenkasse, a public health insurance provider, he observes a transformation of mobility on a global scale. Riding electric scooters is seen as cool but is also completely passive. In Meier’s opinion, much of the appeal of electric scooters comes down to convenience. ‘I think you can compare it to driving a moped or car.’
We ask him: is walking outdated? Olaf Meier pulls out a mobility survey conducted by the Berlin Senate. According to this 2013 survey, 31 percent of Berliners walk most of their every-day routes, 13 percent ride their bike, and 28 percent go by car. ‘I see an increase in the share of pedestrians and cyclists. This has been incentivised by fitness trackers and the like. Walking is now the fastest-growing sport. Some public health providers give people credit points for their tracked steps. So, being on your feet is not at all outdated.’ There is a growing awareness.
The 2018 Health Report of Techniker Krankenkasse deals with these issues extensively. Based on the current debate, a study on electric scooters and their high risk of injury was expected, but this is not yet planned. However, the Health Network Adlershof is currently analysing the results of its large-scale health survey. One of the key issues of the report is commuting. In-depth information can be retrieved in mid-September at: www.adlershof.de/gesund/.
According to Professor Elmar Kulke, an economic geographer at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, electric scooters are particularly interesting for tourists, on the one hand, and commuters, on the other. They might also replace the popular folding bikes, which are commonly used by commuters because they can be taken on the train. ‘Adlershof is actually ideal for electric scooters because its network of roads and bike paths is in outstanding condition. However, for the operating companies, Adlershof is not particularly interesting if you look at the area’s one-sided traffic – from the station into the Technology Park in the morning, and back in the afternoon – so this probably calls for people to buy their own scooters,’ is the geographer’s verdict.
A reliable electric scooter costs about 1,000 euros. Renting scooters, often via a mobile app, clocks in at about two to three euros per minute. According to Kulke, the electric scooter craze is still in its infancy and their use will be much more regulated in the near future.
Patrick Stüwe isn’t particularly interested in the recent debate on electric scooters. While it is illegal to ride on the pavement, wearing a helmet is not mandatory. Personally, he feels safe. On the other hand, he concedes that it takes practice to drive safely. ‘It took me two to three months to really get the hang of it.’ After all, going 20 kilometres an hour on two wheels is quite a new experience.
By Jördis Götz for Adlershof Journal