The police crackdown on electric scooters (monopatina) has sparked a wide-ranging debate on freedom of movement and safety standards on urban roads. Since October 13, hundreds of citizens have been stopped and their vehicles confiscated, with no clear timeline for when new regulations will be adopted and when their use on the streets will be restored.
"Illegals from nowhere"
Besian Kozma, a director at Albanian Radio-Television, has been using his electric skateboard to get to work every day since 2023. For the area where he lives, in the hills of Liqen i Thatë, the skateboard was a practical means of transportation, lighter than a mountain bike and faster and more economical than a car.
Every day he traveled about 5 kilometers round trip without the expense and stress of traffic or parking.
“It was the most convenient vehicle I ever had,” he recalls.
The routine was disrupted on October 12, when he saw a video of Interior Minister Albana Koçiu on social media, warning of the blockades. However, Besiani continued to use the skateboard for another two weeks, until on October 20, when he left work, he was stopped by a patrol at the roundabout on “Papa Gjon Pali II” Street.
"I stopped normally, because I have nothing against the police, who are doing their duty," Besiani says, describing the moment of the administrative detention as unclear.
"I asked for the reason for the blockage and they quoted me a verbal order," he recalls. The skateboard was taken from him without giving him any documents or records. He says that at his insistence, the officer placed the vehicle on the seat of the patrol car and, that's it.
Three days later, at the Traffic Police Station, he was asked to submit a written request to obtain information.
Two weeks after the request, Besiani was called to the police station.
"I thought they would give me my skateboard back, but it wasn't to be," he recalls, adding that at the police station he received a two-page letter stating that his electric vehicle had been blocked for 30 days for: violation of traffic rules, inability to prove ownership, and “refusal to stop by the police”.
"All three reasons were not valid," he emphasizes. Besiani filed a complaint about this and is still waiting for a response as of the end of October. He had bought the patina for around 550 euros and emphasizes that he has the invoice, which proves his ownership.
Contradictions between police practice and the legal basis
The police action began without a clear basis and without the necessary public clarifications, leaving hundreds of citizens, including Besiani, in a truncated situation.
Until now November 11th the police blocked 1,426 skates, while official communications remained partial, often unclear and without full explanations on the reasons and duration of the operation.
The police actions were based on a decision by Minister Albana Koçiu, which was published in the Official Gazette four days after the action began. The ministry confirmed this in a statement to Citizens.al.
State Police representatives told Citizens.al that the action was also based on an internal order dated October 9. However, this chain of decisions created a dangerous precedent where the administrative action took effect before the obligation to be published in the Official Gazette.
So the orders began to be implemented without the public being legally notified. A Facebook post was enough. This operational ambiguity seems to be supported by an even greater legal gap.
The General Directorate of Road Transport Services (DSHTRR) confirmed to Citizens.al that "electric skates are allowed to circulate on the road", because Article 344 of the Council of Ministers Decision No. 153 deals with them "by analogy with bicycles" pursuant to Article 180 of the Highway Code.
In the absence of a specific article, bicycle rules function as a borrowed norm for roller skates: they can move on the road and must use bicycle lanes, when they exist, respecting the same rules of direction, lighting, signaling, etc.
The 2021 amendment formalized the term "electric skates" in the Highway Code, allowing them to circulate. But it was not accompanied by a full regulatory framework.
The Highway Code does not contain a special article for them, while municipalities and the police do not have bylaws that clearly define speed limits, permitted zones, or technical restrictions.
In this stalemate, citizens find themselves penalized for using a means that the law allows, but the rules for its implementation are lacking. This is where the paradox arises: the law exists, but its implementation depends on the interpretation of the authorities, turning road safety into an unstable and arbitrary process.
"Excessive and arbitrary action"
The authorities launched the action after a number of incidents. Meanwhile, in two previous reports by Citizens.al, confusion was noted among citizens, spontaneous protest and lack of transparency.
To understand the real impact on users, Citizens.al developed a questionnaire in which 40 citizens who had directly faced the police operation responded, one of whom was Besian Kozma.
The vast majority of respondents said they used their skateboard for daily transportation, mainly to work (90%), while 10% used it for services. "delivery". This usage profile suggests that skateboards are not simply recreational vehicles, but an alternative to urban mobility, especially for those who cannot afford high transportation costs.
The survey points to a lack of transparency in the implementation of the police action as the majority (59%) of users said they did not receive any official documents at the time of the blockage.
Most were stopped in the morning, on their way to work (65%), turning the intervention into a direct blow to the mobility of citizens, the vast majority (90%) of whom considered the action "excessive and unfair", as well as the 30-day lockout "arbitrator".
No user has rated Citizens.al's action as "just and necessary". This shows a clear gap between citizen perception and institutional justification for road safety.
"For me, they have acted very wrongly, because they have harmed us in our daily lives, they could have drafted the rules even without taking such action," says Besiani.
Almost all (93%) said they had experienced this period without monopathy as costly in time and money. Citizens have been oriented towards urban transport (43%) or walking (45%), while 12% towards taxis. This change has created a financial and time burden for active users of these means.
"At the moment I either move by bike or by public transport, but this period has shown what effect it has had on movement because all of us who had skates and were blocked are either using cars or public transport, affecting traffic," Besiani comments.
"The problem is not the means, but the lack of rules"
The majority (62%) of respondents believe that skateboards are only a problem when used without rules. Only 20% consider them a serious danger. Along the same lines, the majority support their use in bike lanes, but agree that there should be restrictions on this use.
"Experts should come out and evaluate this, normally there should be rules and anyone who does not comply should be punished, not everyone should be penalized," Besiani continues.
The recommendations of the respondents from Citizens.al aim to balance road safety and the right to movement. They agree that electric skates should have age and speed restrictions, be required to register, identify and have vehicle insurance, especially in cases of commercial use, and be punished with fines and confiscations in cases of repeated violations.
The Citizens.al survey shows that the majority of skateboarders do not oppose the rules, on the contrary, they demand them. But the 30-day ban, without warning and without due process, is perceived as a punitive and unfair measure.
Thus, the debate over skateboards highlights a profound reality: large cities like Tirana require clear and long-term mobility policies, not persecution with sudden police operations.
Erblin Vukaj has completed his studies in “Communication Sciences” and further mastered (MSc) in “European and International Journalism” at the University of Tirana. Since 2012, Vukaj has been working as a professional journalist, gaining experience in online media, print media, radio and television. He has covered various issues such as current affairs, health, environment and sports. In parallel, he has led and been involved in several research projects on the communist past in Albania.
