Balancing sustainable Mobility and Safety – how to fit e-scooters into urban transport, case Helsinki

This study aimed to analyze the current state of shared e-scooter parking and potential parking-related challenges to address in the Kallio district in Helsinki, Finland. In addition, the current status of e-scooter rules and restrictions was collected. Data concerning e-scooter parking was collected with field observations. The results of the study show that further improvements to current shared e-scooter parking practices would improve accessibility and even safety, especially for the vision impaired, those using mobility assistive devices or those walking with baby strollers. Reorganization of parking could be most effective close to the busy transit areas and POI’s. Although e-scooters do not seem to replace personal cars, but rather walking, biking and public transport, they seem to be here to stay – at least as one of the solutions for the first and last mile. Hence, finding a balance between the benefits and reducing the drawbacks appears to be relevant.