DC Scooter Ban! Members of the D.C. Council introduced a bill Tuesday that would ban....

[Anonymous]

That was on the news last night but so far not much reporting on it so it is hard to find details, here is one of the better ones:
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/DC-Bill-Would-Ban-Scooter-Use-During-Overnight-Hours-511816831.html

Members of the D.C. Council introduced a bill Tuesday that would ban people from riding electric scooters in the city from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., create speed restrictions and require scooter companies to follow more rules.
Council member Mary M. Cheh along with council members Charles Allen, Brianne Nadeau and Jack Evans introduced the “Electric Mobility Device Amendment Act of 2019.”
The proposal includes the following:
Requiring operators to maintain a 24-hour toll-free phone number for members of the public to report illegally parked scooters
Mandating that operators move illegally parked scooters within three hours of receiving a complaint
Banning scooter use between the hours of 10:00pm and 4:00am
Requiring operators to pay a bond to the District that will be used to pay for any damage their devices cause to public property
Requiring operators to maintain at least 10% of its fleet in each Ward by 6:00 am
Increasing the scooter speed limit to 15 miles per hour on the street or bike line and reducing the speed limit to 6 miles per hour while operating on the sidewalk
Setting the electric bicycle speed limit to 20 miles per hour on the street;
Requiring operators to release fleet, trip, and complaint data to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
Giving the DDDOT Director the ability to suspend permits of operators who are not abiding by the law and provide the agency with the authority to fine operators who have been the subject of a disproportionate amount of complaints
Requiring DDOT to construct signage and/or pavement markings to identify the Central Business District
Establishes a parking pilot to create electric scooter exclusive parking locations.

[Anonymous]

I think the 10 pm to 4 am ban is discriminatory. There are people who work late shifts ending at 11 pm or starting overnight who won't have alternatives at that hour.

The distribution across wards is welcome as are the other requirements.

[Anonymous]

It would be great if they could include:

- Every scooter should have a loud signal alert that the rider would have to use 10 feet or so ahead while approaching pedestrian. This would avoid any collision with pedestrians walking the same way as t he scooter who don't see a scooter coming and they could step in the way of the scooter unknowingly. That happens with bikes riding on sidewalks, especially kids assume a person has eyes in the back of the head.

- This would probably eliminate any collision at all if: the scooter rider would be required to get off the scooter to pass a pedestrian on the sidewalk.

- In places where sidewalks are not frequently used by pedestrians, one side of the street could be dedicated for scooters or mixed use and marked accordingly so people would have a choice to walk on the scooter free side and they would easily know which side is it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the 10 pm to 4 am ban is discriminatory. There are people who work late shifts ending at 11 pm or starting overnight who won't have alternatives at that hour.

The distribution across wards is welcome as are the other requirements.

Yes, it is, just like scooters on the sidewalk discriminate walkers. Per definition that thing is called SIDE -WALK!!! as in walking.
The sidewalk was created to keep pedestrians safe from the traffic. So now you are bringing traffic into the sidewalk and complain it is discriminatory? It should not be there at all so scooters if allowed should be limited to such a use that respect safety and comfort of pedestrians.
A pedestrian in collision with scooter has about as much chance as a scooter in collision with a car.

[Anonymous]

Scooters should be mandated to have collision avoidance/automatic braking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the 10 pm to 4 am ban is discriminatory. There are people who work late shifts ending at 11 pm or starting overnight who won't have alternatives at that hour.

The distribution across wards is welcome as are the other requirements.

. I feel like it should be at night when they are allowed- not as many pedestrians to knock over. I think they should be banned or heavily controlled during the peak commuter times.

[Anonymous]

If anyone really cares about safety then ban cars and let scooter and bike riders use the whole street.

As a compromise, make a fully protected and connected set of bike/scooter lanes. That alone will encourage safer use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Scooters should be mandated to have collision avoidance/automatic braking.

Cars, too. In fact, let's start with cars. And speed governors, while we're at it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That was on the news last night but so far not much reporting on it so it is hard to find details, here is one of the better ones:
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/DC-Bill-Would-Ban-Scooter-Use-During-Overnight-Hours-511816831.html

Members of the D.C. Council introduced a bill Tuesday that would ban people from riding electric scooters in the city from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., create speed restrictions and require scooter companies to follow more rules.
Council member Mary M. Cheh along with council members Charles Allen, Brianne Nadeau and Jack Evans introduced the “Electric Mobility Device Amendment Act of 2019.”
The proposal includes the following:
Requiring operators to maintain a 24-hour toll-free phone number for members of the public to report illegally parked scooters
Mandating that operators move illegally parked scooters within three hours of receiving a complaint
Banning scooter use between the hours of 10:00pm and 4:00am
Requiring operators to pay a bond to the District that will be used to pay for any damage their devices cause to public property
Requiring operators to maintain at least 10% of its fleet in each Ward by 6:00 am
Increasing the scooter speed limit to 15 miles per hour on the street or bike line and reducing the speed limit to 6 miles per hour while operating on the sidewalk
Setting the electric bicycle speed limit to 20 miles per hour on the street;
Requiring operators to release fleet, trip, and complaint data to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
Giving the DDDOT Director the ability to suspend permits of operators who are not abiding by the law and provide the agency with the authority to fine operators who have been the subject of a disproportionate amount of complaints
Requiring DDOT to construct signage and/or pavement markings to identify the Central Business District
Establishes a parking pilot to create electric scooter exclusive parking locations.

I really like the bolded. Bikes and e-scooters are generally not permitted on the sidewalk in the CBD, and I'd love to see more people getting ticketed for that. It's just not safe to be on the sidewalk in a pedestrian-heavy area, and the speed limits are low enough (and traffic is slow enough) that they can ride in the street. And if they can get people to stop leaving scooters in the middle of the damn sidewalk, that would be amazing. Making the companies on the hook for it will likely cause them to enforce the restrictions on riders--if they get a call about a scooter you left in the middle of the sidewalk, you get dinged an extra fee or something. Those things are a nuisance, and can be a real problem to people in wheelchairs, using walkers, the blind, etc.

I'm guessing the 10-4 ban is about intoxicated operators? Or is it that visibility is limited so they are less safe? I'm not clear on the rationale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scooters should be mandated to have collision avoidance/automatic braking.

Cars, too. In fact, let's start with cars. And speed governors, while we're at it.

Scooters are replaced every three months (they don’t last long), and a city can probably strong arm a scooter rental company but not car manufacturers.

Different scope of problem.

Also, a scooter stopping suddenly on sidewalk or bike lane not likely an issue; a car stopping suddenly on freeway would be disaster. So cars require more mature logic, which isn’t there yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Scooters should be mandated to have collision avoidance/automatic braking.

Fantastic idea! Also automated loud sound coming out of them when approaching a pedestrian!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scooters should be mandated to have collision avoidance/automatic braking.

Fantastic idea! Also automated loud sound coming out of them when approaching a pedestrian!

Don't forget the loud sound when approaching young children toddling along, dogs being walked by senior citizens, etc.! Honk that horn at them all and get them out of the way!

Sheesh. Keep the scooters slow or off the sidewalk!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scooters should be mandated to have collision avoidance/automatic braking.

Cars, too. In fact, let's start with cars. And speed governors, while we're at it.

Scooters are replaced every three months (they don’t last long), and a city can probably strong arm a scooter rental company but not car manufacturers.

Different scope of problem.

Also, a scooter stopping suddenly on sidewalk or bike lane not likely an issue; a car stopping suddenly on freeway would be disaster. So cars require more mature logic, which isn’t there yet.

Number of people in the US killed by cars: 40,000 per year.

Number of people in the US killed by scooters: 0.

If you're worried about safety, start by regulating cars.

Also, speed governors for motor vehicles already exist. Why not require them? The EU does.

[Anonymous]

Maybe it is time to paint a line on the sidewalk dividing it into two lanes like street and allow the use of the scooter only in one of them so pedestrians would keep half of the sidewalk to themselves knowing they are safe from the scooter menace?

Also banning the scooter ride on crowded sidewalks and making users to walk with them pass the crowds.

[Anonymous]

I’d like to see helmets and some way of regulating them in public areas, especially on the mall. It’s a real pain in the ass when toursists are trying to figure out how to use them and wobbling all over the place. Also I’ve seen a lot of people bite it in crosswalks. Falling over the handlebars