Socuéllamos approves the sustainable mobility ordinance for electric scooters

The Plenary of the Socuéllamos City Council definitively approved, in a session on September 29, 2026, the modification of the Ordinance regulating sustainable mobility with personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) in the urban center. The full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Ciudad Real number 190, dated October 2, 2026, in the CITY COUNCILS section, under announcement number 3163. The regulation will enter into force once its full text is published in the gazette and the period of fifteen business days provided for in article 65.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, regulating the Bases of the Local Regime, has elapsed.

The ordinance is issued in the exercise of municipal traffic powers recognized by article 7 of Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015, of October 30, and develops at the local level the provisions of Royal Decree 970/2020, of November 10, which incorporated the definition and circulation conditions of PMVs into the General Circulation Regulations. The text, signed by the mayor Mª Concepción Arenas Mulet on September 30, 2026, is structured into four titles and 36 articles, and replaces the previous regulation, which only contemplated the circulation of pedestrians and cyclists.

Among the main innovations, the ordinance introduces the principle of road coexistence, which requires priority to be given to the pedestrian and, failing that, to whoever uses the vehicle that offers the least protection to its occupants.

Circulation: 25 km/h, minimum age of 16, and prohibition on sidewalks

PMVs are vehicles with one or more wheels, with a single seat and exclusively electric propulsion, with a design speed between 6 and 25 km/h. The approved circulation rules are as follows:

• Minimum age of 16 to drive a PMV on public roads and spaces.
• Maximum speed of 25 km/h on urban roads, reduced to 20 km/h on single-platform roads and residential streets, with the possibility of reducing it to 10 km/h upon prior signaling.
• General prohibition of circulating on sidewalks, parks, streets, and pedestrian zones; in these spaces, the driver must dismount from the vehicle.
• Prohibition of circulating on bypasses, interurban roads, highways, motorways, and urban tunnels.
• Circulation in single file, without letting go of the handlebars and signaling turning maneuvers.
• Minimum safety distance of 5 meters for motor vehicles circulating behind and a lateral space of 1.50 meters when overtaking.
• Single-person use: transporting more than one person is not permitted.

Bicycles maintain the obligation to circulate on the roadway, with a limit of 10 km/h on bike-sidewalks and greenways. Children under 10 may circulate on sidewalks accompanied by an adult and without exceeding 5 km/h, while human-powered scooters and skateboards are considered pedestrians and may not travel on the roadway.

Helmet, Insurance, and Circulation Certificate

The text reinforces the safety and documentation obligations for users:

• Approved protective helmet, properly fastened in the cases required by state regulations; mandatory for those under 16 years of age on bicycles.
• White front lighting and red rear lighting turned on during the night and in low visibility conditions, in addition to a retroreflective element visible from 150 meters.
• Mandatory circulation certificate: PMPs (Personal Mobility Devices) marketed until January 21, 2024, may circulate without it until January 22, 2027.
• Registration in the National Vehicle Registry of the Central Traffic Headquarters, with an identification label on the rear; the City Council may also create a municipal registry.
• Civil liability insurance is recommended as long as it is not required by state legislation.
• Technical requirements according to the Resolution of January 12, 2022, of the General Directorate of Traffic, with two independent brakes, an anti-tampering system, and wheels with a minimum diameter of 203.2 millimeters.

Fines of up to 500 euros and vehicle removal

The sanctioning regime is updated according to the latest traffic reforms. Minor infractions are penalized with fines of up to 100 euros (90 euros in the annexed table, with a 45 euro discount for prompt payment), serious infractions with 200 euros (100 discounted), and very serious infractions with 500 euros (250 discounted). Very serious behaviors include exceeding the authorized speed by more than 50%, reckless driving, lacking the circulation certificate, or technically tampering with the vehicle.

The Local Police assume the inspection function and may order the immobilization and removal of bicycles and PMPs, with costs borne by the owner, as well as their treatment as urban solid waste after two months without being retrieved from the impound lot.

The new ordinance makes Socuéllamos one of the municipalities in the province to specifically regulate electric scooters, an expanding mode of transport that until now lacked a local regulatory framework. Users must adapt their driving habits and review the certification of their vehicles before 2027, while the City Council plans dissemination and awareness measures to ensure compliance with the regulation.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Ciudad Real, number 190, of October 2, 2026, CITY COUNCILS section, page 9260 (official reference: announcement number 3163).