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A lawsuit filed by the federal government last month targets Long Beach and six other cities in Southland, alleging that dockless electric scooters pose a risk to people with disabilities.
In addition to Long Beach, the proposed lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act targets the cities of Culver City, Riverside, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine and Garden Grove, as well as the Bird and Lime scooter companies.
The lawsuit was filed by a group of disabled residents of Southern California, including a paraplegic woman from Anaheim, a Viejo Mission woman with lower body weakness, and a Los Angeles leg amputee. .
In the lawsuit, the group said that disabled people were struggling to make their way to the ubiquitous scooters while they were blocking sidewalks, ramps and other public walkways. Scooters are also a danger because cyclists zoom in on roads and sidewalks at speeds up to 15 km / h, the combination said.
The prosecution stated that many people with disabilities are now discouraged from using pedestrian rights of way because of the humiliation and frustration of navigating abandoned scooters.
Controversial scooters have appeared in cities across the country and reactions have been mixed as authorities struggle to figure out how to regulate them. Residents complain about scooters strewing the sidewalks.
Do not get me wrong, I love scooters … but do we really need that at Belmont Shore? @LongBeachPost #scooters #longbeach pic.twitter.com/zcrKMS29HB
– Kelly Puente (@KellyPuenteLB) February 27, 2019
Long Beach has launched its electric scooter pilot program since last fall. To alleviate some concerns about scooters strewing the streets, the city was one of the firsto Require companies to place scooters in the drop-off areas of the sidewalks after daily reloading.
Last month, city council decided to expand the pilot program and double the number of scooters, while exploring a permanent program. A fleet that currently has 1,800 scooters throughout the city will increase by 4,000 over the extended pilot period.
In its lawsuit, the group said that the commercial model of electronic scooters is based on the illegal use of public goods for profit.
"(The electric scooter) is developing through the exploitation of public property for the benefit of businesses, comes to injury, suffering, discomfort, discrimination, humiliation, and the Anxiety, to the serious harm and injury of the rights of tens of thousands of people suit said.
Representatives of Bird and Lime could not be immediately contacted for comment.
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