Electric scooters zip into traffic chaos in Latin America

A man rides an electric scooter in Medellin, Antioquia department, Colombia, on July 2, 2019. - The use of the increasingly-popular electric scooters, which offer a quick and cheap way to get around, is causing safety concerns in cities across Latin America. Critics say they pose a grave safety risk both for users and pedestrians while authorities in some countries have started implementing some kind of framework for their use. (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO / AFP)

MEXICO CITY: Electric scooters promised to revolutionise transportation in Latin America’s traffic-clogged, smog-choked cities, but critics say they have only added to the free-wheeling chaos. 

Like metallic mushrooms sprouting overnight, electric scooters from ride share companies appeared by the thousands last year on streets and sidewalks from Bogota and Lima to Sao Paulo and Mexico City.