E-Scooter Management in Midsized Cities in the United States

The micromobility class refers to devices that are low speed, lightweight, and partially or fully motorized. Electric bicycles and electric scooters (e-scooters) are the most common type of micromobility equipment. This Information Brief examined midsized cities' experiences with e-scooters. Interviews with city staff were conducted in nine cities having e-scooter programs and focused on permitting and regulatory issues, safety concerns, and infrastructure design observations. The key findings regarding safety are: safety is a primary concern for e-scooter program staff and the general public; cities have difficulty tracking crash data; and, there are concerns about safety norms and behaviors of e-scooter riders. The key findings for regulatory issues are: cities need to regulate e-scooter programs in a manner which balances use of the public right-of-way while maintaining private sector interest; most cities used a common fee structure based on an initial permit fee and a per device fee; access to program data is necessary for planning and managing programs; e-scooter programs offer an opportunity to increase transportation equity; agency staff time is need to implement and supervise programs; partnerships with other agencies, neighboring jurisdictions, universities, transit agencies, and Visitors Bureaus are beneficial; parking needs to be more organized; and maximum operating speeds need to be carefully defined and enforced. The key findings for infrastructure design are: in-street bike facilities, with separation from traffic, would be the preferred operating space for e-scooters; and, to maintain accessibility, nearly all cities have included provisions to prohibit e-scooters from blocking sidewalk access for pedestrians, transit riders, and other users.

• Record URL:
  http://pedbikeinfo.org/cms/downloads/PBIC_Brief_MicromobilityMidsizeCitiesScan.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

  Chapel Hill, NC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Goodman, Dan
  • Witte, Adrian
  • Stark, Rae-Leigh
  • Frackelton, Alexandra
• Publication Date: 2019-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 12p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Electric vehicles; Highway safety; Local government agencies; Medium sized cities; Mobility; Regulation; Scooters; Urban transportation policy
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Highways; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; Society; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01735215
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 30 2020 12:37PM