Tax Association takes action at the Public Ministry with a request for suspension The Alagoas Tax Association (Asfal) asked the Alagoas Public Ministry (MPAL) to suspend the electric scooter service in Maceió. The entity claims concern for user safety. ?Join the g1 Alagoas channel The MP will still analyze the request. According to prosecutor Jorge Dória, representatives of the association and the lawyer responsible for the request have already participated in a meeting to discuss the matter. (Watch above) According to information presented by Asfal, three accidents recorded in the capital involved people linked to the association. The most recent case occurred on July 6, when an elderly man suffered a traumatic brain injury after a scooter accident and was taken to the State General Hospital (HGE). Charges from the MP and deadline for the DMTT This Thursday (30), the Public Ministry sent a letter to the Municipal Department of Transport and Traffic (DMTT) demanding information on the inspection of scooters, electric bicycles and cycle lanes in Maceió. The municipal body will have 15 days to inform: which inspection actions were carried out; how many agents work in this work; whether there is a forecast for an increase in staff; when signage will be implemented or reinforced; what educational campaigns were carried out; how many accidents and occurrences were recorded; what measures will be adopted to ensure compliance with the rules. Prosecutor Jorge Dória also scheduled an extrajudicial hearing for August 27th. Representatives from the DMTT, the Municipal Secretariat for Citizen Security (Semsc) and the company responsible for operating the scooters must participate. Circulation rules and history Bicycles and electric scooters are sustainable alternatives for urban mobility. Alisson Frazão According to the prosecutor, scooters are a transport alternative provided for in urban mobility rules, but the service needs to operate safely. “It is a mode of transport that adds to the system, but as long as it is used with safety criteria”, he stated. Jorge Dória explained that the suspension or even prohibition of the service may be discussed if it is found that there is no control or conditions to guarantee the safe use of the equipment. The Public Ministry has been following the matter for more than a year. In January this year, the body recommended that the DMTT prohibit and monitor the use of motorized vehicles, such as scooters, scooters and electric unicycles, on cycle paths and cycle lanes. The only exception indicated by the MP are assisted electric bicycles, in which the motor only works as a pedaling aid. In March, the DMTT published an ordinance to regulate the sharing of bicycles and electric scooters and the use of cycle lanes in the capital.