Brussels municipalities are planning measures to curb the use of electric scooters by drug dealers in areas affected by drug-related crime.
The details of these measures are yet to be determined: Benoît Cerexhe (Les Engagés), chair of the Conference of Mayors, said on Thursday that the mayors are to set up a working group on Wednesday next.
Public Prosecutor Julien Moinil recently asked the Conference of Mayors to implement strategies for identifying users of scooters in hotspots, especially since they are being used by both shooters and drug dealers.
In a letter to Cerexhe earlier this week, Moinil also highlighted the growing number of traffic accidents involving shared electric scooters in these areas.
Although Cerexhe supports better authentication of scooter users, he is against imposing restrictions limited to specific areas or times, such as evening and nighttime bans.
Saint-Gilles Mayor Jean Spinette (PS) expressed support for banning shared scooters in hotspots, while advocating stricter registration requirements for privately owned scooters.
Sofia Bennani (Les Engagés) suggested banning electric scooters between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in the hardest-hit municipalities, such as Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Schaerbeek, Saint-Gilles, and Forest.
She believes targeting only hotspots could simply shift drug activity elsewhere.
Bennani also advocates allowing exemptions for night workers using scooters for commuting.
