The Municipality of Rotterdam encourages the use of shared bicycles, scooters, and cargo bikes. This results in fewer cars entering the city. Its a popular way of traveling: in 2023, approximately 9.7 million kilometers were traveled on shared (cargo) bikes and scooters in Rotterdam. However, users not returning bikes and scooters neatly is a problem.

‘Number 1 Annoyance’

‘Shared scooters and bicycles are very beneficial for our city, but they must be parked properly,’ says councilor Pascal Lansink-Bastemeijer (Enforcement, Public Space and Mobility). ‘Too often, bicycles or scooters block the sidewalk and obstruct the road. It is the number one annoyance among Rotterdammers.’

From 140 to 180 hubs

To prevent shared bicycles and scooters from being placed everywhere, more so-called parking hubs will be introduced. These are white boxes on the street, specially designed for returning used bicycles or scooters. Outside these boxes, shared transport cannot be locked. The user will continue to pay for the bike or scooter as the ride cannot be ended in the app.

Throughout Rotterdam, there are now 140 hubs. Link opens an external page. This year, that number will increase to 180. The municipality ensures that the hubs are placed in locations where people report a lot of nuisance and where a lot of shared transport is used.

‘Be Considerate of Each Other’

The municipality enforces against improperly parked shared transport, but still, people do not always park bikes and scooters neatly. Therefore, a campaign starts on Monday: Ride over? Keep the sidewalk clear! With this, the municipality urges users of shared transport to prevent parking nuisance. For example, park the bike or scooter in line with other bikes or scooters in a parking hub, make sure there is enough space for strollers and wheelchairs, and do not park on a guiding line for the blind.

Councilor Lansink-Bastemeijer: ‘As a pedestrian, you have to go around them or squeeze through, and that is not possible if you have mobility issues, are in a wheelchair, or are pushing a stroller. With these measures, we are saying: be a little considerate of each other and just park your bike or scooter neatly in the designated area.’

Fines for Improper Parking

In addition to the extra parking hubs and the campaign, there are also stricter rules for companies offering shared transport in Rotterdam. They must do even more to prevent parking nuisance. For example, companies use reward systems.

They also use a so-called parking score. This score tracks how often someone improperly parks a bike, cargo bike, or scooter. When someone repeatedly makes mistakes, they can receive a fine. The company can also ensure that you can no longer use a shared bike or scooter.

Want to know more about shared transport? Then visit the page about shared transport.