It has been exactly one year since the implementation of Barcelona’s strict new Traffic Ordinance. The regulations, which came into force on 1 February 2025, introduced mandatory helmet use for all users of personal mobility vehicles (VMP), including electric scooters. Twelve months later, the consensus on the ground is that the measure has been a resounding success. Therefore, this article examines the impact of the Barcelona e-scooter helmet law compliance.
High compliance with mandatory helmets
Observations across the city suggest that the vast majority of riders have adapted to the safety equipment requirements. At a busy intersection where bike lanes from Passeig de Sant Joan, Ronda de Sant Pere, and Passeig de Lluís Companys converge, riders report that there is high compliance with the new e-scooter regulations.
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“When they announced a year ago that it was mandatory, I had already been wearing one for a long time, so it wasn’t a change for me,” one scooter user told local news outlet betevé. “I see that everyone wears it now.”
Frequent police controls have played a significant role in normalising the habit. Luz, a resident of the Gràcia district, noted that she has been stopped frequently by officers. “They check the helmet, ensure the scooter has a speed limiter, and verify that you stop where you are supposed to,” she explained.
Speed limits and hefty fines
Beyond headgear, the ordinance introduced complex speed restrictions that some riders are still navigating. While the general speed limit for e-scooters is capped at 25 km/h, this drops significantly to just 10 km/h on streets where the cycle lane is located on the pavement rather than the road.
This nuance catches some users off guard. “I wasn’t clear on that point-10, you say?” remarked a surprised user on the Avinguda Diagonal cycle lane.
The Guàrdia Urbana (Urban Guard) conducts regular inspections to ensure vehicles have not been tampered with to bypass factory-installed speed limiters. Furthermore, scooters are strictly prohibited from riding on the main carriageway if the road’s speed limit exceeds 30 km/h. The penalty for non-compliance is severe, with fines set at €500.
Representatives from scooter user associations admit that while the fines initially seemed excessive, they have proven effective in deterring dangerous riding. “At first we complained a lot that we wanted to go faster, but now we are used to it,” one user admitted.
Friction over bike lane usage
While compliance is up, not all stakeholders are satisfied with the current state of Barcelona’s mobility infrastructure. Cycling advocacy groups, such as Amics de la Bici (Friends of the Bike), remain critical of the shared infrastructure model.
“The bike lane is the bike lane, not the lane for everything they don’t want motor vehicles to have.”Albert Garcia, Amics de la Bici
Garcia argues that cycle lanes should be exclusively for bicycles, highlighting a lingering tension in the city’s rapidly evolving urban mobility landscape. Meanwhile, the Association of Users for Personal Mobility maintains that their vehicles are compatible with the network, provided speed limits are respected.
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