Recently, social media has been actively discussing the alarming situation on the sidewalks of Bishkek. Local residents and visitors to the capital express their dissatisfaction due to the high-speed movement of cyclists and scooter riders in pedestrian areas. The question of who should yield the right of way — the pedestrian or the rider — remains open, as does the question of where bicycles and electric scooters can move: closer to the roadway or to the buildings?
The situation requires attention, and perhaps it is time to organize meetings at the city hall involving the Ministry of Transport, the Traffic Police, and even lawyers to develop clear rules. Scooters will not disappear from the streets, as they have become commonplace in traffic jams, but all road users need to learn to respect each other. If, of course, we want to avoid trouble.
Recently, well-known PR specialist and former UNDP employee Olga Grebennikova expressed her dissatisfaction on her social media page:
“Last night, I almost found myself under the wheels of a scooter driven at high speed by a food delivery person from Glovo.
Dear Bishkek city hall, I ask you to clarify the situation for me. Maybe I don’t understand something.
Firstly, since when do motorcycles and scooters have the right to move on narrow sidewalks where there is no and cannot be a special lane? For whom are you publishing the city hall's decisions?
Secondly, where are your traffic police officers when two-wheeled vehicles move from the roads to pedestrian zones in the city center (Umetaliev-Toktogul)? Isn’t it their responsibility, or have I missed something?
Which of your many departments and divisions is monitoring the work of food delivery companies?
Do the owners of electric scooter rentals feel untouchable? How many more people need to be harmed for this situation in Bishkek to change?
Why are there no license plates or names of the owning companies on electric scooters? Their riders hit people and do not stop, fleeing from responsibility. The fact that they can act with impunity is concerning.
We are law-abiding citizens. We do not walk on the roadway, we cross the street only at crosswalks and on green lights. We respect order and the law.
Why must we constantly fear for our lives on the sidewalk to avoid becoming victims of racers? Why does a walk on the street cause fear? Why do those responsible for our safety not fulfill their duties and show us respect?
Dear President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, perhaps this issue should be examined more closely with the State National Security Committee?”
Judging by the comments, such situations in Bishkek are becoming increasingly common. Residents are sharing their stories more frequently about how they managed to avoid collisions with scooters or motorcycles. People are demanding not bans, but order — clear rules and accountability for all road users.
