Cebu City Council to CCTO: Reconsider e-scooter ban

In this January 10, 2020 photo, Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera is seen driving an electric scooter during the Sinulog Festival 2020 launching parade.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera has officially brought the concern of the planned ban on electric scooters (e-scooters) to the City Council.

Garganera delivered a privilege speech during the regular session on Wednesday, September 30, 2020, explaining to the council that the ban on the e-scooters on the grounds of a 30-year-old ordinance created before this new form of public transport was invented is unjustified.

He said that Ordinance Ordinance 801, or the Traffic Code of the City, only states that coasters, roller skates, and toy vehicles or similar devices are prohibited in any roadway, except while crossing a street.

The e-scooters cannot be fully considered as an e-bike, due to the absence of a seat or a saddle, but it also cannot be considered as a coaster, or commonly known as skateboards, as it is motorized and powered by electricity.

Read: Banning E-scooters from major thoroughfares, city roads is for safety of the public – Labella

“Rather, it can be considered as a class of its own. In other words, up to this point, the prohibition and regulation thereof is still up to debate. And I argue in favor of its regulation rather than its outright prohibition,” said the councilor.

Garganera said e-scooters have provided a healthy alternative for workers during the community quarantine when the public transport has been scarce.

Unlike bikes, the e-scooters provides less effort, therefore, less energy on the part of the user when traveling because it runs on electricity, thereby allowing the workers to conserve that energy for work.

Read: Frontliners exempted from e-scooter ban

“There is also no denying that there are rare occasions when frontliners are denied the use of available transportation due to the nature of their work and possible exposure, despite being prohibited under the law. Surely, therefore, it is not difficult to understand why our constituents resorted to the use of alternative transportation in the midst of this pandemic due to the lack of public and more affordable mode of transportation,” added Garganera.

The councilor argued that the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Department of Transporation (DOTr) have also been working on providing traffic rules and regulations concerning not only e-bikes but also e-scooters.

The ban for the e-scooters in the city, therefore, is unnecessary and could easily be remedied with the formulation of better regulations.

Read: Labella willing to listen to side of Cebu e-scooter group

“Looking at it in the alternative, the recent popularity and growth of the use of bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters, aside from the benefits that it provides to its user, is also a reflection of the city’s lack of an affordable and convenient mass transportation through the years. Indeed, we have a lot of things to work on,” said Garganera.

The City Council has agreed with Garganera and moved to pass the resolutions to urge the CCTO to reconsider the ban and to form  an Adhoc committee to look into the regulation of the e-scooters.

Lawyer Gerry Carillo will head the ad hoc committee as he also heads the ad hoc committee for the bike lanes in the city.

The CCTO has yet to respond to the request of the City Council as of this posting.

/bmjo