A package of documents was submitted to the city election commission to organize a referendum on the ban on the rental of electric scooters and other personal mobility (IM) devices in St. Petersburg; A message about this was published on April 24 in the activist group “Central District for a Comfortable Living Environment” on the VKontakte social network.
As previously reported IA Krasnaya Vesna, the first important step in solving the pressing problem of “scooters” was taken last Sunday: on April 21, at Kirochnaya, 6, an initiative group of 350 people was created, which included active residents of the city. After registering participants, the group voted unanimously in favor of holding a referendum on a complete SIM ban in St. Petersburg.
“We did not delay the process of drafting the protocol, as well as the verification of the entire set of documentation. Within days we checked the passport details against all available Home Office databases and also showed the signature sheets to an independent calligrapher expert. Yes, I had to spend money on rush jobs. But it was worth it!” — said the organizers on the group’s page on the VKontakte social network.
Today, a package of documents and a petition to organize a referendum for verification have already been delivered to the Municipal Election Commission on Voznesensky Prospekt, activists say. Now, according to the law, the commission’s experts will have 15 days to carry out the verification, after which the petition and the bill on a complete ban on SIM card rental will go to the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg for the next check.
“We are absolutely sure that the set of documents is correct. “It was carefully reviewed by a lawyer.”the authors of the message stand out.
Recall that activists want to achieve a complete ban on the operation of kick-sharing services in St. Petersburg due to constant violations of the rules on the use of electro-SIM. As a result, it has become unsafe for pedestrians to walk on sidewalks and people are constantly injured in scooter accidents.
According to representatives of the group, the inhabitants of the Northern capital are forced to endure the arbitrariness of the authorities and the complete inaction of shared rental companies, which are not interested in creating a safe urban environment, the interest of the operators renting is just doing; fabulous profits.
“We admit that a total ban seems like an exceptional measure. But until the infrastructure is created that allows the rules for the use of this type of vehicles promoted by the city administration to be applied in practice, this measure is of vital importance.”say the initiators of the referendum.
Recall that previously the holding of similar referendums in Russian cities was discussed at the federal level; The initiative was taken by the New People party in the State Duma in 2023. The parliamentarians referred to the experience of Paris, where after a referendum the use of electric scooters was banned. The bill was subsequently rejected in first reading and the speaker of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly, Alexander Belsky, spoke out against a complete ban on scooters.
According to city media, Belsky later presented a proposal to force kicksharing representatives to pay taxes on profits earned from scooter rentals.
According to the Rotunda telegram channel, the Urent service is already paying tax deductions in St. Petersburg, but the Legislative Assembly was not satisfied with the amount of 5 million rubles received. According to deputies, the bicycle path development project is estimated at 30 billion rubles and the payments received do not cover the city’s expenses.
Also read: A referendum on the ban on shared scooters began in St. Petersburg
Source: Rossa Primavera
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