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A law signed by governor Jerry Brown last week, allowing adults to drive scooters without a helmet, should pave the way for the scooter revolution in more California cities.
Sacramento, however, will not be among them. At least not this year.
Assembly Bill 2989, supported by the Santa Monica Bird Scooter Company, eliminates the requirement for adult drivers to wear a helmet. It also allows them to roam the streets with speed limits of up to 35 miles per hour. The previous law prohibited street scooters with limits exceeding 25 mph.
The law paves the way for the expansion of electronic scooters by allowing users to take a scooter into the street at the moment, without having to wear a helmet with them.
Scooter companies want to bring commendable appliances to the streets of Sacramento. But the city's current law on scooters poses a problem: scooter companies have to install scooter parking stands, which companies are not yet able to do.
Sacramento officials work with these companies and other stakeholders to rewrite the rules. New rules will likely be presented to City Council for approval in January.
City Transportation Manager Jennifer Donlon Wyant said the goal was to allow scooter companies to set up, but to create restrictions for scooter drivers
Electronic scooters have a structure similar to that of pedal machines popular among children. They usually have a deck with two wheels and a big handlebar, but with an engine.
They aroused controversy in other cities where users did not pay attention and parked them in the middle of sidewalks.
"We are trying to take a more thoughtful approach," said Wyant of Sacramento. "Is it wise to use bike racks or are there other types of luggage racks? Where should they be parked?
"We want to make sure the sidewalks are clear and the ramps are not blocked. The best way is to create places to park them.
These rules will likely involve the creation of designated parking spaces for scooters and will require companies to pay the city a scooter fee to offset the city's various costs.
Bird officials said in an email Monday that they are satisfied with the new legislation and are working with Sacramento officials to bring the scooters to the city "in the near future" as well as others. parts of the capital region.
"We believe Sacramento would be a great place to provide our affordable and environmentally friendly transportation option," the company said. "We are interested in exploring opportunities to serve all communities in Sacramento and providing access to our last mile solution so residents can get out of their cars and get around the city more easily. We hope to collaborate with the authorities of the city and bring the service of Bird The city of trees in the near future. "
Pedestrian advocates in Sacramento have raised safety concerns regarding electronic scooters. In a recent letter to the city, Kirin Kumar of WalkSacramento, scooters should not be allowed to drive on the sidewalks and the city must ensure that the machines have some kind of parking. in a way that impedes the right of passage for pedestrians ".
Jim Brown, of the Sacramento Area Lawyer, said he hoped the arrival of electric scooters in Sacramento would help push the city further into creating safe bike lanes.
"As long as sharing scooters can help get people out of the car, it serves the interests of people on bikes," said Brown.
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