2019-028 Mobility Committee Recommendations for Shared Electric ScootersDate: February 15, 2019 Report No. 2019-028
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
Informational summary of options for regulating shared electric scooters and the recent
recommendation of the Mobility Committee.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In less than two years, shared electric
scooter services have appeared in more
than 60 cities across the country. Some
cities have planned for them while others
(more than 40) have had scooters deployed
without any advanced coordination.
Denton has already been approached by
several shared electric scooter service
providers interested in doing business here.
Currently, the city does not have any laws
expressly allowing nor expressly
prohibiting shared scooter services. The
city’s current dockless bikeshare ordinance does not include scooters. Currently, there are several
concerns regarding the operation of electric scooters on public right-of-way in the City. As such,
at this time, staff recommend a ban on all electric scooters on city rights-of-way until more
research can be done and coordination can be conducted with the universities. This item was
presented to the Mobility Committee on January 29th which recommended prohibiting electric
scooter companies from operating within the City. This recommendation is different than staff
recommendation of a full prohibition of electric scooters within the City. Staff intends to present
this topic for consideration and action in front of the entire City Council, in the near future.
BACKGROUND:
The City Council received an informational presentation about shared electric scooter services on
August 28, 2018. The consensus of the council at that time was that Denton was not yet ready to
accommodate shared electric scooters on city rights-of-way. Due to the relative newness of this
mode there is limited information, precedent or best practices for managing scooters. Portland,
Oregon recently completed a 120-day shared scooter pilot program and released a detailed report
about ridership trends, safety, and management. This is one of the first comprehensive
information sources available on the topic.
Shared scooters are similar to dockless bikeshare. The scooters have no fixed docking/parking
area and can be used by anyone with the appropriate smartphone app. Users download the app
which allows them to find and unlock scooters as well as make payments via credit card. A
typical payment structure might be $1 to unlock the scooter and for the first minute of riding and
then $0.15 per minute thereafter. Scooters are propelled by kicking off the ground with a foot
and then using a throttle on the handlebar to accelerate. They typically have a maximum speed
Date: February 15, 2019 Report No. 2019-028
of 15 mph (governed) when being propelled by the electric motor. Once batteries are drained
they are collected by a team of contracted “chargers” who recharge the batteries and ensure the
scooters are in working order before redeploying them to city streets.
Principal concerns with respect to shared electric scooters are personal safety, parking/storage,
and appropriate riding locations.
SAFETY: Helmets are recommended by all providers as basic personal protective equipment.
According to Portland’s report however, 90 percent of all riders do not wear helmets. Cities that
permit shared scooters do have an uptick in scooter-related injuries and hospital visits but it is
not known if scooters are any more dangerous than bicycles or other modes on a per-mile or per-
trip basis. During its 120 day pilot period, Portland reported 176 scooter related injuries- 80% of
which only involved the scooter rider (falls). Scooters were ridden for over 700,000 miles
during that same period- which equates to an injury rate of one hospital visit per 4,000 miles
ridden. It is not known if scooters have a higher injury rate when they are newly deployed to an
area (which would then be expected to fall as the populace becomes more accustomed them).
All current scooter providers in the US market have a
minimum user age of 18- but there is no mechanism to
enforce it. In a study of emergency room visits at two
southern California hospitals, 11% of electric scooter
related injuries happened to riders under the age of 18.
PARKING: Scooters should be parked where they will
not become a hazard or obstacle to other right-of-way users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorists,
deliveries, mobility device users, etc). A number of cities have worked with the system
operators to designate acceptable and unacceptable areas for scooter parking. Improperly parked
scooters can act as major obstructions to the mobility impaired and result in ADA violations.
RIDING LOCATIONS: Local ordinances about where scooters may be ridden vary.
Municipalities have had to reexamine their codes to make sure the language includes electric
scooters A major question, which varies between cities, is where scooters may or may not be
ridden (bike lanes, sidewalks, recreational trails, riding with vehicular traffic, etc.). Under the
current Denton City code, a motorized scooter would be treated like a bicycle. It could legally
ride on the street or the sidewalk (except around The Square).
Date: February 15, 2019 Report No. 2019-028
The Mobility Committee received a presentation about electric scooter regulation on January 8,
2019. At that time, staff recommended a complete ban of all electric scooters on city rights-of-
way. The committee supported this recommendation but after further thought contacted city
staff to find out if there was a way to prohibit shared scooter services without also prohibiting
privately owned scooters. City staff returned to the Mobility Committee on January 29th to
revisit the issue and discuss other possible ways to prohibit shared electric scooters while
allowing privately owned ones. The following options were reviewed at the Mobility
Committee;
1. Full prohibition of electric scooters on City right-of-way
2. Prohibition only on electric scooter companies (shared use operators)
3. Implementing a pilot program (similar to bike share)
4. Take no action at this time
The Mobility Committee recommended option 2, which will prohibit electric scooter companies
(operators) from operating on public right-of-way within the City limits. Staff intends to present
this topic for discussion, consideration and action in front of the entire City Council in the near
future.
CONCLUSION:
The Mobility Committee recommendation of prohibiting electric scooter companies from
operating within the City differs from the staff recommendation of a full prohibition of electric
scooters within the City. There are several concerns regarding the use of electric scooters on
public right-of-way and staff believes that we should continue to gather and assess data about
their safety and best regulatory practices as this mode of transportation evolves. Staff intends to
present this topic for discussion, consideration and action in front of the entire City Council in
the near future.
STAFF CONTACT:
Marc Oliphant, AICP
Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator
(940) 349-8954
marc.oliphant@cityofdenton.com