Socuéllamos approves the ordinance for electric scooters and personal mobility

The Socuéllamos City Council has definitively approved the modification of the Ordinance regulating sustainable mobility with personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) in the urban center of the municipality. The agreement was adopted by the Plenary session on September 29, 2026, and the full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Ciudad Real number 190, dated October 2, 2026, under Announcement number 3163. The regulation sets the minimum age for riding an electric scooter at 16 years, limits the speed to 25 km/h, and prohibits circulation on sidewalks, parks, and pedestrian zones.

The text is issued under the municipal traffic competence recognized by Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015, of October 30, and develops for the local scope the provisions of Royal Decree 970/2020, of November 10, which incorporated the definition of PMV into the General Traffic Regulations. The City Council justifies the regulation based on the increase in these vehicles and the “coexistence problems” generated by sharing public space without a specific framework. The ordinance replaces and updates the municipal regulation for pedestrians and bicycles and renews the sanctioning regime.

Minimum age, speed, and prohibited spaces

The ordinance defines a PMV as a vehicle with one or more wheels, for a single person, and propelled exclusively by an electric motor, with a maximum design speed between 6 and 25 km/h. Its general circulation conditions are the same as those for bicycles, with these specific rules:

• Minimum age of 16 years to circulate through roads and public spaces.
• Maximum speed of 25 km/h on urban roadways and 20 km/h on single-platform roads and residential streets, reducible to 10 km/h by the municipal authority.
• Prohibition of circulating on sidewalks, parks, streets, and pedestrian zones, where the driver must dismount from the vehicle.
• Prohibition on bypasses, interurban roads, highways, motorways, and urban tunnels.
• Circulation in single file, without letting go of the handlebars and with signaling of turning maneuvers.
• Minimum safety distance of 5 meters for motor vehicles and a lateral space of 1.50 meters when overtaking.

Circulation certificate, helmet, and registry

To circulate, PMVs must comply with the specifications of the Resolution of January 12, 2022, from the General Directorate of Traffic, which approves the Manual of PMV characteristics. Technical requirements include the 25 km/h limit with anti-tampering systems, two independent brakes, speed and battery indicators, approved lighting and reflectors, an acoustic warning device, and wheels with a minimum diameter of 203.2 millimeters.

• PMPs marketed from January 22, 2024, must be certified for use.
• Those marketed until January 21, 2024, may circulate without a certificate until January 22, 2027.
• No driving permit is required, but the circulation certificate must be carried and presented to officers.
• An approved helmet is mandatory in the cases established by state regulations and recommended otherwise.
• Owners must register the vehicle in the National Vehicle Registry of the Central Traffic Headquarters; the City Council may also create a Municipal Registry of PMPs.

Fines from 90 to 500 euros and vehicle removal

The sanctioning regime distinguishes three levels, with the possibility of a discount for prompt payment:

• Minor infractions: fine of up to 100 euros (90 euros, with 45 euros discounted).
• Serious infractions: 200 euros (100 euros discounted), such as circulating with more than one occupant, without the permitted age, or without a helmet when required.
• Very serious infractions: 500 euros (250 euros discounted), such as exceeding the maximum speed by more than 50%, reckless driving, lacking the circulation certificate, or technically tampering with the vehicle.

The Local Police may immobilize and remove vehicles to the municipal impound lot due to risk to traffic or people, with costs borne by the owner. The regulation also governs parking, which is prohibited next to facades, in pedestrian crossings, loading and unloading zones, and spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility.

Also bicycles, skates, and skateboards

The ordinance is not limited to electric scooters. It updates the circulation of bicycles and cycles, which must use the roadway and not the sidewalks, and mandates helmets for those under 16 years of age. Skates, skateboards, and conventional human-powered scooters are considered pedestrians: they may travel on sidewalks and pedestrian zones at a maximum of 5 km/h, without priority over pedestrians, and never on the roadway except to cross it.

The regulation will enter into force once its full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Ciudad Real and the period of fifteen business days provided for in article 65.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, has elapsed. The announcement appears signed in Socuéllamos on September 30, 2026, by the mayor, Mª Concepción Arenas Mulet.

The ordinance affects all users of the public roads of the municipality and makes Socuéllamos one of the city councils in the province that already have their own framework for electric scooters. Drivers have a transitional period until January 2027 to adapt vehicles acquired before 2024, while the City Council plans dissemination and awareness measures to ensure compliance.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Ciudad Real, no. 190, October 2, 2026, Local Administration – City Councils, pp. 9260-9283 (official reference: Announcement number 3163; CVE 4C8zuuiRd9FV4hCQ2++V).