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One of the big two companies operating anchorless electric scooters in Los Angeles said Wednesday it welcomed the new regulations adopted by city council on Tuesday, even though it could mean thousands of fewer devices on the streets.
The one-year pilot program adopted by the council will limit companies to 3,000 scooters at the beginning of the program, with additional devices allowed in "disadvantaged" communities. The pilot program will begin within 120 days and, in the interim, companies can apply for a conditional license for up to 3,000 devices.
Lime issued a statement saying that "welcomes the approval of the Los Angeles City Council … new regulations allowing businesses to provide enhanced mobility options for city residents." advice [Mike] Bonin and [Bob] Blumenfield has been instrumental in adopting good policies through each of their committees and the full City Council for adoption. "
The lime did not include in its statement the number of scooters used in the city, but a representative of the scooter company Bird told City News Service that the company operated about 8,000 scooters a day.
Seleta Reynolds, General Manager of the Los Angeles Transportation Department, told city council that Bird and Lime had told the media that they were operating about 10,000 scooters in Los Angeles.
Lime has already been authorized to run a pilot program of bikes without a dock in the San Pedro area.
"Lime is honored to have operated the only approved pilot program in Los Angeles, launched in 2017 under the direction of City Councilor (Joe) Buscaino, who was the first to introduce Dockless Mobility in Los Angeles." "In light of the board's approval, Lime will obtain a conditional use permit to allow more scooters and affordable e-bikes to be available for local residents."
David Estrada, head of government relations and public policy at Bird, told CNS ahead of Tuesday's vote that the ceiling on scooters "would be a serious break." And the way we see things transporting on which people count each day. "
Estrada also suggested that the cap could limit the company's efforts to expand outside of Westside, even though the pilot project would allow thousands of devices in disadvantaged communities.
"What we're trying to do is make sure we can provide equal access across LA," Estrada said. "The problem with the idea of limiting the number of scooters to a very small number is that they will shrink to the densest circle where the rides will occur, which is just West LA. no affordable transportation if we are capped. "
Scooters of lime and non-anchored birds have proliferated in the Westside communities over the last year, leaving local governments scrambling to regulate them. The city of Beverly Hills recently banned them for six months, while Santa Monica created a 16-month pilot program last month that limits the number of scooters allowed on the streets.
Scooters work through a phone application that allows users to find and unlock devices and drop them wherever they are allowed, without docking stations or kiosks.
The LA pilot program approved within 120 days allows controlled growth of the devices. Although companies are capped at 3,000 devices, they will be able to add up to 2,500 additional devices if they are located in disadvantaged communities, and will be able to add 5,000 additional devices to disadvantaged communities in the San Fernando.
After demonstrating compliance with program requirements and meeting certain performance criteria, the LADOT may allow businesses to increase the size of their fleet, but the program does not specify a limit for this expansion.
The board also approved a top speed of 15 mph, the speed already offered by Bird and Lime.
The new regulation requires companies to equip scooters with a minimum police warning of 48 points against sidewalks. Companies must also maintain a 24-hour hotline and respond to poorly parked or unusable aircraft within two hours, from 7 am to 10 pm
In the future, operators will have to use a technology to know if a device is parked vertically. They may also designate parking areas for appliances in high traffic areas.
Copyright City News Service
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