Yes! We are finally sharing the scooter! In 10 months ……….. – Slog

Seattle was the pioneer of bike sharing without a dock, but the city has become one of the last to adopt the equivalent of the electric scooter. Fortunately, finally, it will change. In about 10 months.

Council member Teresa Mosqueda said that she and Board member Mike O. Brien were calling for a scooter pilot program two months before the peak stress period, when the viaduct was closed and that the SR 99 tunnel was not open.

"We were told" Well, it's just not possible, "Mosqueda told City Hall on Thursday.

And yet, we are painfully stiff and too cautious GeekWire we have scooters later.

Mayor Jenny Durkan's disregard for scooters is well known and barely veiled. She has expressed concerns about their safety and has banned them outright, making them illegal to drive the streets of the city. Apparently, all cities other than Seattle have taken the plunge while Durkan is dragging his feet.

When I was on a high scooter in February after having a sweet and pleasant taste of the good life when visiting a city clutching a scooter, I asked the Seattle Department of Transportation what was the deal. They said the city did not plan to install scooters on the streets of Seattle.

But I guess Jenny Durkan has changed her mind.

"I'm just happy to see his position on the issue evolve," said Council member Abel Pacheco. "I'm excited to work with her on that."

The city still seems to be determining its plan. At City Hall Thursday, Lime and Bird, two e-scooters startups (you know Lime for their bikes), have introduced their scooters to people who want to test them.

me being cool on a scooter (after accidentally spilling a) pic.twitter.com/U5HuXwTCY5
– nathalie graham (@gramsofgnats) May 9, 2019

There was also a "lunch and learn" information session with the Portland Department of Transportation, a city that has already successfully managed a four-month scooter pilot and just launched its scooter pilot a end of April.

"Ogden (Utah) launched its pilot project in two weeks," said Jonathan Hopkins, director of strategic development for Lime in the Northwest. "Tacoma in three weeks, many places have reversed the situation fairly quickly.

Mosqueda said the current schedule of the Seattle pilot project is in 10 months. I know you can add, but in case we are in March 2020. Hopkins thinks we should not wait so long.

"We do not have to reinvent the wheel here," Hopkins said. "It's the same thing in almost every city – just copy Portland – an ounce of practice is better than expensive studies that tell us what all cities have already told us."

It seems that, at least for the moment, these studies and these examinations should last 10 months. But why?

"I think [Durkan]Make a real effort to look like the mayor of climate action, "said Glen Buhlmann, event assistant, L & # 39; abroad. He described himself as a Seattle voter but not a Durkan elector. "She has a say, then she turns around and does things like banning scooters for a year and says the driver will start next year."

If we believe Durkan at the word, it's because she's really concerned about the safety of scooters. That's the common chorus with these vehicles, anyway. All journalists accompanied by a cameraman at Thursday's event asked questions focused on safety, helmets and risks. Durkan cited a report from the Center for Disease Control in his editorial yesterday. Here is this line:

In the CDC study, nearly half of those injured in scooter accidents sustained head injuries, including 15% of traumatic brain injuries.

Now, take this calculation and this report with a grain of salt since the scooters are brand new with regard to technology. But, this report revealed that 20 people were injured for every 100,000 scooter trips. That's 0.02 percent. Only 41% of these injuries were "serious". It's like eight people. And that means the remaining 59% (a total of 12) boils down to scooter problems. Put a bandage on it!

Of these eight injured motorcyclists, six were novice motorcyclists. It makes sense. Let me tell you that there is definitely a learning curve. I was scared the first time I jumped on a Lime scooter. I wavered like a giraffe, but not the one who needs personalized therapeutic shoes. On my second outing, however, I was an expert. That's the common chorus, too. Mosqueda said that the first time she had mounted one, she found herself in a garbage can. There is a learning curve, but it is as steep as a hill in Kansas.

Although caution is required, there is no point in worrying about your injuries and your safety. What complicates the environment of the scooter is the cars. What makes scooters – something not destined to be driven on the sidewalk – is the infrastructure of the bike.

According to Lime data, 57% of users in the country had not been cycling for less than 6 months.

"This overlap is complementary, we invite many people who do not already use this system – and this meets our goals of increasing infrastructure," Hopkins said.

This is because there are more people using bike infrastructure than before because scooters are adopted by a different demographic than the non-cyclist.

"Most people prefer to use protected bike lanes," said Hopkins. "When people get on the sidewalks, the real reason is that no safe space has been created for them."

Why did we sleep on it? Durkan wants to make sure the scooter share is safe, fair and affordable. That 's fine and it' s responsible, of course, but that does not necessarily take 10 months, not when these companies apply these practices in different cities of the country for almost a year.

"I think the city can chart a course and, using the mayor's security concerns … we can make it work properly," said board member Mike O. Brien. L & # 39; abroad.

The most important thing is that scooters are fun and easy. And, from the size of my week's sample in Atlanta, they create habits. Hopkins thinks so too. They are the perfect last-mile solution for connecting people to public transport.

"If we have the same kind of urgency as we say about climate, congestion, caring for people fairly," Hopkins told council members, "we'll do it tomorrow. but it takes this level of urgency. "