Last week, Miami’s city commission voted to end its pilot scooter program, which kicked off in 2018, citing safety concerns. The city told operators to pick their scooters up or it would impound them, per Mass Transit.
While the city may allow scooters to return at a later date…
Miami isn’t alone in scooter controversy
For scooter advocates, they’re an affordable, convenient last-mile solution. But cities have been reluctant to embrace them, largely because:
- People abandon them in walkways, which blocks access.
- People ride them on sidewalks, endangering pedestrians.
- They can be dangerous for riders, too. In 2019, numerous cities and countries around the world banned or restricted scooters after riders were killed in collisions with vehicles.
Also, people really like to destroy scooters for some reason, which is its own problem.
So, what’s the solution?
Roger Woodman, a professor at the University of Warwick who researches shared micromobility, told Automotive World that cities need bike/scooter lanes separate from pedestrian areas.
Lime is working on a program with San Jose, California, to detect sidewalk riding and inform users to stay off them.
Some cities, including Nottingham, United Kingdom, are trying out bans and fines for people who don’t dock scooters where they belong.
Others have tried geofencing, which can enforce speed and parking restrictions or turn a scooter off if someone takes it where they’re not allowed. Bird uses geofencing to slow down its scooters in pedestrian-dense areas.
And now: Some helpful tips to avoid falling off a scooter.
