Problems with e-scooters in Cologne 500 e-scooters at the bottom of the Rhine
Bonn · More than 500 e-scooters lie at the bottom of the Rhine in Cologne. Environmentalists are alarmed. In response, there are driving bans on the river banks and bridges. In Bonn, there are no such problems.
Images of people participating in traffic in pairs on an e-scooter - often late at night, not infrequently intoxicated - are part of everyday life in the city. People have become accustomed to news of collisions and associated hospitalizations. Often, abandoned parked rental vehicles also add up to an obstacle course: annoying for pedestrians, potentially dangerous for the visually impaired and passersby with walkers.
In Cologne, in addition to the known side effects of the agile speedsters, another phenomenon has been revealed. As reported by Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), more than 500 e-scooters are lying at the bottom of the Rhine. The Cologne-based construction diver Markus Hambüchen appears to be the informant. According to WDR, he took a call from the headquarters of one of the largest suppliers of e-scooters in Germany. According to the report, the subject of the conversation was a cost estimate for the salvage of 500 of the company's electric pedal scooters. GPS data had revealed that rioters had thrown the scooters into the Rhine in the area of Hohenzollernstrasse in downtown Cologne.
Construction diver Hambüchen has promised the company his help, as he told WDR: "I thought it was good that someone is finally taking care of the problem with the electric scooters in the Rhine." And, "We find such scooters at every place we work on the bottom of the Rhine. Before we can start working on quay walls or bridge piers, we first have to clear the scrap aside. I'm not talking about ten or 20 scooters, but hundreds lying in the Rhine." The consequences for the environment are obvious, says Hambüchen: "We notice that some of these scooters secrete a sticky mass. Apparently, the battery sheaths leak on the vehicles in the Rhine, and then chemicals leak out of the batteries.“
Strong current in the Rhine
The construction diver provided a cost estimate, but it seemed too expensive to the company: "As a result, the man in charge said it wasn't worth getting the scooters out of the Rhine at that cost. They should stay where they are." The company assured WDR that all scooters within reach would be taken out of the water. However, it said the Rhine was deep and the current strong. Therefore, it would be difficult to recover all vehicles, he said. The problem in the Rhine has environmentalists up in arms. Paul Kröfges, a water expert from the Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation in North Rhine-Westphalia, calls it a scandal. "There are hundreds of these vehicles in the Rhine in Cologne alone, toxic and dangerous substances are released, and the owners want to leave their scrap in the Rhine. That may not be acceptable to the responsible environmental authorities. The Rhine is a drinking water supplier for about 30 million people in Europe." Kröfge wants to hold the lenders accountable. In his opinion, they must salvage their scooters immediately.
Lenders: No immediate danger
Confronted with the research results, the company Tier denied to WDR that there was an immediate danger to the water in the Rhine. The batteries of the scooters are sealed. However, corrosion could eat away at the metal if the scooters were in the water for very long. "That's why we always try to salvage each scooter promptly," Tier informed. The provider VOI also says it will make efforts to salvage vehicles.
The vandalism in Cologne has provoked a practical effect. To prevent more e-scooters from ending up in the Rhine, VOI and Bird have imposed parking bans for their vehicles on the banks of the Rhine and on bridges, according to WDR. Customers can no longer finish their rides near the Rhine.
Less vandalism in Bonn
Research by the GA has shown that the conditions in Cologne cannot be transferred to Bonn. Complaints about incorrectly parked or wantonly destroyed scooters are limited. According to the city, two to three tipoffs are received every week. The public order office then contacts the providers, who usually remove the e-scooters quickly. "The trend of such tipoffs is declining," said a spokeswoman for the city of Bonn. The provider Tier can confirm this: "Vandalism plays a much smaller role in Bonn and throughout Germany than in other markets in which we operate.“
The situation is different, however, with rental bikes. Here, according to provider Nextbike, there is a major vandalism problem. The company itself spoke in October 2020 of a "blind frenzy of destruction" that Nextbike has not experienced like this in any other city so far. The result: fewer bikes on Bonn's streets. In contrast, there is no such problem with e-scooters. Since 2019, there has been a loose cooperation between the e-scooter provider Tier and Bonn's public utilities. This defined no-parking and restricted zones, for example. The municipal utility assesses the cooperation as positive.
Severely injured
So all is well in Bonn? Of course not, as a report in the GA of June 11 proves. In the wording: "A 52 year-old e-scooter driver was seriously injured who was on the scooter early on Thursday around 1.50 clock on the Kessenicher Luisenstraße in the direction of the traffic circle. According to police, he suddenly lost control of his e-scooter, left the roadway, touched a parked car and fell. He had to go to hospital for treatment. Since the man had previously stated that he had consumed alcohol, a blood sample was also taken from him. A value was not communicated to the officials. A 17 year old suffered light injuries on Wednesday at 5.30 p.m. on the Siegburger road. He also fell with an E-Scooter, witnesses informed the police. The teenager had 1.4 per mille alcohol in the blood. His companion was measured 0.7 per mille."
(Original text: Dietmar Kanthak/Translation: Mareike Graepel)
