Frederiksberg Conservatives push to regulate rental bikes and scooters

Frederiksberg’s Conservative Party wants the municipality to seek tighter rules for parking rental bikes and scooters, DR reports. The proposal will be considered at a council meeting on Monday evening.

The party wants the municipality to contact the Transport Ministry. It says rental vehicles are often left in ways that block people who use wheelchairs, white canes or walkers.

Carina Høedt, the Conservatives’ environment and transport spokesperson on Frederiksberg, said she would like the municipality to be able to use geofencing. Under such a system, riders could not end their trip unless they parked within a designated area shown on a map.

Frederiksberg residents interviewed by DR described problems with the vehicles. Helene Skriver said they could make it harder for her to park her own bicycle. Kasper Kristiansen, who sometimes uses rental bikes, said he supported better parking rules as long as they were not too restrictive.

Copenhagen Municipality previously contacted the Transport Ministry to seek authority to regulate rental vehicles, but was not granted it. Høedt said Frederiksberg should raise the issue because it faces the same problem.

Minister for Urban, Rural and Transport Affairs Karina Lorentzen Dehnhardt of the SF party told DR that she was willing to hear municipalities’ requests. She has invited representatives from Copenhagen and Frederiksberg to a meeting later this month.