Helsinki traffic police have already had plenty of work dealing with miscreant e-scooter riders this spring, with 27 traffic penalties and six fines issued already.
Chief Inspector Dennis Pasterstein, who heads up traffic policing in the city, said that last year there had only been eight infringements recorded by this stage.
"The main reason is surely the more active policing," said Pasterstein. "This is a good sign that patrols have been diligent right at the start of the season."
Targeting 400 penalties or fines
Helsinki police have the same target as last year: 400 traffic penalties or fines issued to e-scooter riders. The hope is this level of enforcement will prompt a change in the behaviour of those who use the electronically-powered two-wheelers.
Last year police fell short, only punishing riders 376 times.
Pasterstein says the most common cause for police enforcement so far this year has been a situation where two people are riding the same scooter. That is punished by a 400 euro traffic penalty, or if there is more severe traffic endangerment, police can issue income-linked day fines.
Last year the most common infringement was riding on the pavement, crossing a red light or going the wrong way down a one-way street.
Pasterstein is keen to stress that people can be punished for "cycling while drunk" if they are inebriated while conveying a passenger on their e-scooter, even if they do not cause an accident, collision or mishap.
The same offence can be committed by those riding alone, if they do cause a concrete threat to traffic safety by steering erratically or colliding with something.
Riding while under the influence without a passenger is not currently banned, if there is no danger to other road users. The Ministry for Transport and Communications has requested a blood alcohol limit be brought in, but no decisions have been made yet and the law does not demand sobriety from e-scooter users.
Parking confusion
At the start of the month Helsinki brought in new parking rules for rented e-scooters in the centre of the city.
There are now some 250 parking spaces around the city, and parking infringements can be punished with a parking fine of 60-80 euros.-
Pasterstein says that it is not yet clear how e-scooter parking offences will be penalised. Over the course of the summer it will become clear how much police can do to regulate parking behaviours.
Municipal traffic wardens are also just getting to grips with the new system, and have not been active in handing out parking fines. The work involved is significant, compared to the benefits accrued.
"E-scooter parking enforcement could be pointlessly laborious," said Kaija Kossila, Helsinki's head of parking enforcement and services.
"E-scooters have for example been placed near the parking spaces, but not quite in the right area," said Kossila. "The parking zone could be on the road, but the scooters have been left on the pavement. Sometimes cars have been parked in the scooter spots."
Parking spaces to be painted in May
Kossila says that the situation will become clearer once the scooter parking spots are painted. This work will start in May.
If a wrongly-parked scooter is blocking traffic, it can be moved by municipal workers. That will incur costs for the owner of the board, meaning the rental companies.
It remains unclear if the payment will then be passed on to the end user who actually left it in the wrong place.
