Norway
What we do
La oss ta fortauene tilbake — Let us reclaim our sidewalks — is Norway’s association for pedestrians. Being a pedestrian in Norway is perilous, as bicycles are allowed by law to use sidewalks and footpaths. In 2018, e-scooters were classified as bicycles in town, and this added to the woes of pedestrians. Rental companies soon discovered there were no laws regulating their activities. They could place as many e-scooters as they wanted on sidewalks in Norwegian cities, without needing permission in advance. And municipalities could not charge them for their use of public space. Let us reclaim our sidewalks was founded in response to this obvious offense against pedestrians’ right-of-way on sidewalks.
We want a ban against the use of e-scooters on sidewalks and footpaths. We also ask that the road authority enforces the law that limits bicycles to «walking speed» on sidewalks. Today, bicyclists and e-scooter drivers use pedestrian areas as racing paths, and pedestrians as slalom posts.