The Ministry of Transport, together with relevant departments, will work on the issue of banning electric bicycles from sidewalks and report to the President within the established timeframe, the ministry told RIA Novosti. This was prompted by Vladimir Putin's instruction to prepare relevant proposals by July 1, 2026.
The root of the problem lies in the vague definition of personal mobility devices (PMD) in the current traffic regulations: it includes heavy commercial electric transport that has nothing in common with a scooter in terms of design. Courier electric bicycles with a cargo box weigh dozens of kilograms and accelerate to 30–40 km/h, while classic PMDs are limited to 25 km/h. Back in the spring of 2025, a government meeting discussed equating electric bicycles with a power of more than 250 W to mopeds — with rights, a helmet, and a ban on the sidewalk. These amendments were never included in the legislation.
Pavel Fedyaev, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Transport, proposes an alternative: hardware control for devices up to 250 W and 25 km/h — geofencing of slow zones and real-time monitoring — while expanding the responsibility of delivery services for driver violations. Yandex responded with a call to develop cycling infrastructure.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs recorded a 43% increase in the number of accidents involving PMDs in 2024 — the number of victims reached 4.6 thousand people. Without a clear classification of transport, any restriction will remain a declaration: it is impossible to ban the sidewalk for an "electric bicycle" until the law distinguishes between a light bike and a one-and-a-half-meter cargo bike of a courier.
