HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-MATC-2019-02-25
MOBILITY, ACCESSIBILITY
AND TRANSPORTATION
COMMISSION MINUTES
PRESENT:
Chair Lerner
Commissioners (7) Barden, Brylinsky, Lyczko, Roberts, Chang, Powers, Brouwer
OTHERS PRESENT:
Common Council Liaison - Nguyen
Information Management Specialist - Myers
Lime Bike Representative – Goodmark
EXCUSED:
CC Liaison McGonigal
Commissioner Parkes
Approval of the January 28, 2019 Mobility, Accessibility and Transportation
Commission Meeting Minutes- Resolution
By Commissioner Lyzcko: Seconded by Commissioner Powers
RESOLVED, That the minutes of the January 28, 2019 Mobility, Accessibility, and
Transportation Commission be approved as published.
Carried Unanimously
Statements From the Public:
Dave Nutter, City of Ithaca, voiced his concerns about the use of e-scooters in the City
of Ithaca, particularly concerning the sharing of sidewalks and stated that he does not
support them.
E-Scooters:
Commissioners Barden and Powers provided a summary of their findings related to
their research on the use of e-scooters in cities similar in size to Ithaca. They provided
overview of the results of their research through a PowerPoint presentation (summary
will be attached to minutes).
Commissioner Barden stated that they hoped at the end of the presentation this evening
that members of Matcom might be able to provide a recommendation regarding bringing
e-scooters to the City that they could take to the March Planning and Economic
Development Committee meeting for further review and discussion.
After the presentation, there was opportunity for questions and discussion of the topic.
Concerns, things to think about and additional data needs were shared as follows:
Concerns:
Education of public must be a priority prior to the introduction of e-scooters
Date: February 25, 2019
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Common Council Chambers,
3rd Floor, City Hall
Public Safety and Information Commission
February 25, 2019
2
Safety on sidewalks for pedestrians and maintaining access for everyone.
City not responsible for making LimeBike successful and profitable.
A memorandum of understanding must be in place prior to the introduction of e-scooters
and should be for a specific period of time only and include language about
idemnification of the City for any liability due to their use..
Data Needed:
Answers to questions regarding insurance and the city liability
Additional information from NYS V & T law on the use of e-scooters
What impact on tourism do e-scooters have
Information from other cities on usage rates for e-bikes versus e-scooters
Things to Think About:
Conduct a pilot study on the use of e-scooters
Provide information on the pros and cons of e-scooters
Job and transportation opportunities that e-scooters might provide
Be proactive and accept this new transportation option as e-scooters are being
introduced and used around the country and the world
Impact of e-scooters with some of Ithaca’s large festivals
The creation of jobs and revenue from the use of e-scooters and e-bicycles in the City
of Ithaca
Response from Lime Bike Representative Jeff Goodmark
Affordability and accessibility is their goal
Consumers choose e-scooters over bikes
More scooters than bikes all over United States as well as different countries
Once you have the app it works anywhere in the world
Lime Bikes has proven they can take care of the program and provide jobs locally
They plan to honor the current three year memorandum of understanding with the City
and they would not put out scooters without a memorandum of understanding in place
They have new “Generation 3” scooters and all of the use and design concerns raised
have been addressed in the re-design of the new scooters, which are specifically
designed for use in cities
They do not have a requirement for a driver’s license because they don’t want to
exclude someone from using an e-scooter that would provide transportation for them to
a job
They have exclusive messages about no riding on sidewalks that come up each time
scooters are accessed prior to use
They fully support the need for public education and are willing to do any type of
educational events leading up to the launch with free helmets to everyone on launch
weekend – education is the key to success
Their insurance covers every user and indemnifies the City of Ithaca
New braking system on e-scooters allows for full control
Commissioners Barden and Powers will provide a final summary for review and
discussion at the March Matcom meeting.
Public Safety and Information Commission
February 25, 2019
3
Commissioner Barden and CC Liaison Nguyen left the meeting at 7:20 p.m.
CC Liaison Nguyen will e-mail his liaison report to Matcom members.
Chair’s Report:
Assignment of Vice Chair for March Matcom meeting – Commissioner Brouwer
Pedestrian Snow and Ice Removal:
Chair Lerner explained that enforcement plays a key role in the removal of snow and ice
from sidewalks. Will the city do anything about snow removal that costs money? He
will talk with CC Liaison Nguyen tomorrow and hopes that in due course there will be a
new charge to Matcom about this topic that is also tied into appropriate staff resources.
Pedestrian Snow Removal Public Input:
Commissioner Chang reported that he and Commissioner Brouwer met to sketch out a
timeline so this project can be completed by May for a presentation for Matcom only.
They plan to meet with one of the members of the Public Safety and Information
commission and they also want to meet with the City Clerk to discuss what is available
as far as doing a survey and what city resources might be available.
Commissioner Roberts stated, for the record, that he wanted to point out that cities have
an obligation to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide access to city
infrastructure year round. That is how he thinks about this issue. He hasn’t seen many
lawsuits against municipalities for failure to clear sidewalks, he has seen lawsuits about
sidewalks, parking, and accessibility. He hopes that the City understands that
regardless of citizen input and feedback that it has to, at some point, make a decision
as to how it is going to clear sidewalks during storms. It’s a legal issue not a code issue
or “wouldn’t it be nice thing”.
Discussion followed on the best way to reach as many residents as possible with the
survey in order to have as much input as possible. It was noted that it will be important
to identify responses form actual city of Ithaca residents as opposed to non-residents.
Chair Lerner stated and related to Commissioner Roberts comments that the thing that
is clear to him is that there is a sidewalk snow removal law that requires owners to clear
to the curb line and public works to clear to street - that leaves a barrier just beyond the
curb line. Under the current law, no one has responsibility for clearing the end of the
crosswalks. He will be looking at everything that comes in in that framework since that
is one of the central issues to solve.
DPW Parking Analysis:
Commissioner Lyzcko explained that currently work is underway on the third draft
request for quotes (RFQ) for the hiring of a consultant to conduct the parking study.
They need to meet with staff about the RFQ and getting information on the stakeholder
group that will participate in the study. That process is moving slow. The vision of the
study is that the parking will address the population of transient, workforce and visitors
and include park and ride options from private parking lots around the city.
Discussion followed on the floor about how removal of the Green Street parking garage
will affect parking in other garages and around the City. Commission members
Public Safety and Information Commission
February 25, 2019
4
encouraged Commissioner Lyzcko to make sure that a large part of the RFQ includes
the engagement of the public and as many different stakeholder groups as possible.
Commissioner Lyzcko stated that she and Commissioner Parkes will need assistance in
having the right questions for the meetings on parking.
ADA Issues:
Commissioner Roberts explained that he, Commissioner Brylinsky and Chair Lerner
met will be setting up a meeting with former Disability Advisory Council to insure that the
other three commissions consider ADA issues in each of their meetings and topics.
Commissioner Brylinsky reported that rescheduling the ADA training has been a
challenge. The trainer provided her with some dates for the end of April and beginning
of May. More information to come in the near future.
Future Topics:
March – presentation from TCAT during first half of meeting and perhaps work in
drafting questions for the sidewalk snow removal survey
April – no big presentation and more time for each of the four current topics
May – sidewalk snow removal
June -
Commissioner Roberts suggested a discussion about how the City budget process work
and/or meeting with someone from the Chamberlain’s office to discuss parking.
Meeting Wrap-Up:
The next Matcom meeting will be March 25, 2019
Adjournment:
The meeting adjourned at 8:10 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Sarah L. Myers,
Information Management Specialist
Compilation of e-Scooter Research
Prepared for the Ithaca PEDC and Common Council
Sarah Barden and Megan Powers
Members, Mobility Accessibility, and Transportation Commission
Created 5 February 2019
Revised 6 March 2019
Sarah Barden and Megan Powers (SB/MP. “we”) have done this research on behalf of the
Mobility, Accessibility, and Transportation Commission (MATCom) at the request of the
Planning and Economic Development Committee (PEDC). We presented our draft report and
findings to MATCom, which has reviewed and commented on the evolving report and has
approved its moving forward to PEDC for review on its merits.
Page 1
Executive Summary 2
Methodology 3
Pros and Cons of E-Scooter Sharing 3
Pros of E-Scooter Sharing 3
Cons of E-Scooter Sharing 4
Safety 4
Fatalities 4
Injuries 4
Additional Comments about Safety 5
Insurance and Liability 6
Equitable Ridership 7
Geography 7
E-Scooter Sharing in Other Cities 8
Harrisonburg, VA 8
Memphis, TN 9
Providence, RI 10
St. Paul, MN 10
Portland, OR 11
Feedback from City Departments 11
City Clerk 12
Engineering 12
Fire Department 12
Planning and Economic Development 12
City Attorney 13
Police Department 13
Feedback from Lime 13
New York State Law 13
NACTO Guidelines 14
Conclusion 14
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Executive Summary
The City of Ithaca Planning and Economic Development Committee (PEDC) asked the Mobility,
Accessibility, and Transportation Commission (MATCom) to research several facets of e-
scooter implementation to help the City of Ithaca determine whether and how to launch an e-
scooter sharing pilot program. This research was undertaken by Sarah Barden and Megan
Powers.
Given our research, we believe e-scooters represent an exciting opportunity for the City of
Ithaca and that it is in Ithaca’s best interest to establish a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) for an e-scooter pilot program beginning in Spring 2019. Creating a pilot program for e-
scooter sharing allows Ithaca to observe how e-scooter sharing impacts Ithaca and to collect
ridership data without tying the city to a permanent decision. Until e-scooter riding in Ithaca is
well understood, we believe establishing an exclusive agreement with one e-scooter provider is
reasonable.
The basics of a dockless e-scooter sharing program typically include:
● Access to e-scooters via a smartphone app, unless using the LimeAcess program (see
Equitable Ridership for more details).
● In-app User Agreement, education, and safety instructions.
● A daily curfew (as determined by the municipality) after which all e-scooters are turned
off and removed from city streets; during this time they are re-charged.
● A minimum age requirement of 18.
Any MOU regarding e-scooters should follow the guidelines outlined by NACTO and should
establish clear regulations regarding e-scooter usage, including points listed below.
● Inclusion of insurance and indemnification clauses
● Establishment of a maximum e-scooter speed of 15 mph
● Establishment of fees or payments made to Ithaca by the e-scooter provider
Ithaca should consider requiring Lime to maintain a minimum fleet of bicycles along with the e-
scooter program to serve the youth and underprivileged population.
Even with a detailed MOU, Ithaca should expect challenges with an e-scooter program. Citizens
and tourists will ride e-scooters illegally on the sidewalks, and residents will express concern
about both improper ridership and lack of enforcement. Further, some e-scooters will be parked
inappropriately, possibly impacting ADA or rescue access. Ithaca can address these concerns
proactively by creating education initiatives, leveraging local interested NGOs, and formally
documenting expectations with Lime.
All the cities we interviewed faced some challenges in implementing their e-scooter programs,
but all have chosen to renew the programs for the next year.
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Methodology
Sarah Barden and Megan Powers have spoken with representatives from several cities to learn
how these municipalities have approached e-scooter sharing and what challenges they have
faced. We have also researched best practices for e-scooter implementation. We have shared
our initial findings with several city departments (City Clerk, Engineering, Planning and
Economic Development, and Fire) and collected their feedback. Finally, we have spoken with
Jeff Goodmark, local Operations Manager for Lime, to understand Lime’s hopes and
expectations for an e-scooter program in Ithaca. Our findings are summarized in the following
sections.
Pros and Cons of E-Scooter Sharing
E-scooters provide a new transportation option for residents and tourists, but they also have
drawbacks. See also data from
● “The State of E-Scooter Sharing in United States Cities” by Sarah M. Kaufman and Luke
Buttenwieser at Wagner NYU’s Rudin Center of Transportation
(https://wagner.nyu.edu/files/faculty/publications/Rudin_ScooterShare_Aug2018_0.pdf)
● “E-Scooter Scenarios: Evaluating the Potential Mobility Benefits of Shared Dockless E-
Scooters in Chicago” by C. Scott Smith and Joseph P. Schweiterman of DePaul
University’s Chaddick Institute (https://las.depaul.edu/centers-and-institutes/chaddick-
institute-for-metropolitan-development/research-and-publications/Documents/E-
ScooterScenariosMicroMobilityStudy_FINAL_20181212.pdf)
● The e-scooter pilot program report from Portland Bureau of Transportation in Portland,
OR (https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/709719).
Pros of E-Scooter Sharing
● E-scooters help solve the “last-mile” problem, giving people an easy option to make a
trip that is too long for a comfortable walk but too short for a car ride. In specific, the
DePaul study found e-scooters were a strong, cost-efficient, time-competitive alternative
to cars for trips between 0.5 and 2 miles.
● E-scooters have a smaller parking footprint than bicycles or automobiles.
● E-scooters require little effort or skill to ride, especially compared to bicycles.
● E-scooters can provide a reliable means of transportation for those who cannot use or
afford a car. This, in turn, can have a positive impact on job accessibility and business
commuting.
● E-scooters have the potential to make jobs more accessible compared to public transit
or walking alone. For example, DePaul’s study found this to be true for 16% of jobs in
their study area.
● E-scooters can replace cars, especially among tourists. In Portland, 34% of residents
and 48% of tourists reported choosing to take a scooter rather than a personal vehicle or
taxi, Uber, or Lyft ride.
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Cons of E-Scooter Sharing
● E-scooters are a new technology. Cities and residents must learn how to integrate them
into daily living while their risks are not yet understood.
● E-scooters are often used on sidewalks, increasing pedestrian discomfort and frustrating
those who would like to see sidewalk riding regulations enforced.
● E-scooters that are parked improperly can cause accessibility concerns.
● E-scooters bring some people a perception of danger and risk. The studies needed to
assess the risk have not yet been completed. A careful evaluation of bike-sharing and e-
scooter-sharing statistics would reveal the relative risks, but this has not been done.
● E-scooters may be more sensitive to irregular pavement than bicycles. Because of their
bigger wheels, bicycles tend to be more stable across bad pavement than e-scooters.
Note: the diameter of the Lime-S Gen 3.0 e-scooter is 10 inches, while the diameter of a
toddler’s balance bike is 12 inches.
● E-scooters are less visible than Lime bicycles. They can be less visible than general
bicycles because of their smaller profile, but they also have front and rear lights.
Safety
Like bicycles and other small transportation devices, e-scooters are associated with safety risks.
To date, few extensive studies have been completed regarding e-scooter safety, and results are
mixed. Most evidence suggests that the injury risk associated with e-scooter usage is
comparable to that of bicycle usage.
Fatalities
There have been two fatalities associated with e-scooter sharing programs in the United States.
At the time these fatalities occurred, there had been approximately 21 million rides on e-
scooters. One report (https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/09/24/e-scooter-deaths-underscore-the-
urgent-need-for-safer-streets/) used this statistic to suggest that e-scooter sharing was
approximately six times more deadly than bike share programs, using two US bike share
fatalities over the course of 123 million rides. With such a small number of incidents in each
case, however, the statistical uncertainty in the actual fatality rate is larger than the difference
between the two modes of transportation (2 ± 1.4 in each case). It is thus impossible to draw
useful conclusions from this data. A later report by the same author
(https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/12/19/deep-dive-are-e-scooters-unsafe-at-any-speed/) took a
more nuanced approach.
Injuries
Comprehensive Injury statistics for e-scooter use are not yet available, but the CDC launched its
first study of e-scooter safety by evaluating data collected in Austin, TX, last fall
(https://www.texasmonthly.com/article/cdc-study-electric-scooters-austin/). Until those results
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are released, there are a few other sources of injury data collection available for review. Austin’s
Mobility Committee of Council reported that between Sept. 29, 2018 and Oct. 31, 2018, there
were nine scooter injuries, compared to 32 bicycle injuries, 44 pedestrian injuries, and 592
motor vehicle injuries in the same period
(http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=311739).
The city of Portland, OR, found there were 176 e-scooter-related injuries reported to the
emergency room between July 25 and Nov. 20, 2018. During the same period, there were 429
bicycle-related ER visits (https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/709719).
As explained in the Portland report, it is difficult to compare e-scooter and bicycle injury rates
because there is relatively little information about the number and length of bicycle trips.
Among the cities we contacted to discuss e-scooter programs, Memphis and Harrisonburg
reported evidence of e-scooter injuries. In Memphis, there were a couple serious head injuries
in Memphis during the pilot period that were related to e-scooter use. The city responded by
mandating the e-scooter apps include rider education, and they pushed for safety
demonstrations and free helmet giveaways. Memphis also trained its downtown tourism
representatives about e-scooter usage for tourists. These measures appeared to make a
positive impact on rider safety.
Harrisonburg reported a James Madison University student fell while riding down a steep hill,
breaking his arm.
Providence and St. Paul all commented that safety was a priority for them and that they wanted
to provide education initiatives, but that they did not have injury statistics and had only limited
injury anecdotes.
Additional Comments about Safety
There is a learning curve associated with riding e-scooters that results in an initial elevated risk
of crashes when riding an e-scooter. Further, because e-scooter tires are smaller in diameter
than most bicycle tires, they can be comparatively more difficult to ride safely over cracks and
uneven pavement.
Lime is replacing all their e-scooters with the new Lime-S Gen 3.0, which Wired reviewed in
October of 2018 (https://www.wired.com/story/lime-scooter-gen3-design/). This model has
notable safety improvements over previous models, including larger (10-inch) tires, dual
suspension, an improved braking system (electrical and mechanical in front; step-based at the
back), a maximum speed of 14.8 mph, and an active rear light and reflectors for increased
visibility.
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Educational outreach and demonstration programs, along with customized safety tips, could be
used to help address e-scooter ridership risks. Eric Hathaway from Engineering has begun the
process of working with Cayuga Medical Center to help collect injury statistics.
Lime requires all e-scooter riders to be at least 18 years old.
Insurance and Liability
It is common for cities to include insurance and indemnification clauses in their agreements with
e-scooter providers, and NACTO guidelines recommend that cities require providers to hold
insurance and to indemnify the city in the event of injury.
The current MOU between Ithaca and Lime for bicycle sharing includes provisions for both
indemnification and insurance:
6. Indemnification. LimeBike shall defend, pay, indemnify and hold harmless City, its
officers, officials, employees, agents, invitees, and volunteers (collectively "City Parties")
from all claims, suits, actions, damages, demands, costs or expenses of any kind or
nature by or in favor of anyone whomsoever and from and against any and all costs and
expenses, including without limitation court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees,
resulting from or in connection with loss of life, bodily or personal injury or property
damage arising directly or indirectly out of or from or on account of:
a. Any occurrence upon, at or from City Property or occasioned wholly or in
part by the entry, use or presence upon City Property by LimeBike or by anyone making
use of City Property at the invitation or sufferance of LimeBike, except such loss or
damage which was caused by the sole negligence or willful misconduct of City. b. Use of
LimeBike's bikes by any individual, regardless of whether such use
was with or without the permission of LimeBike, including claims by users of the bikes or
third parties.
7. Insurance. LimeBike shall procure and maintain for the duration of this
agreement insurance against claims for which LimeBike has indemnified the City
pursuant to Section 5 of this Agreement. LimeBike shall maintain General Liability limits
no less than One Million and no/100 Dollars ($1,000,000.00) per occurrence for bodily
injury, personal injury and property damage, and in the sum of One Million and no/100
Dollars ($1,000,000.00) for injury to or death of more than one person for each
occurrence, and Umbrella coverage no less than Five Million and no/100 Dollars
($5,000,000.00). Each insurance policy shall name the City as an additional insured and
it shall be endorsed to state that: (i) coverage shall not be suspended, voided, or
cancelled by either party, or reduced in coverage or in limits except after thirty (30)
calendar days prior written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, has been
given to City; and (ii) for any covered claims, the LimeBike's insurance coverage shall be
primary insurance as respects the City and any insurance or self-insurance maintained
by the City shall be in excess of the LimeBike's insurance and shall not contribute with it.
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The insurance required to be provided herein, shall be procured by an insurance
company approved by City, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
Currently, insurance coverage for riders is handled through the e-scooter companies’ usage
agreements. There is no explicit coverage to protect riders in the event of an injury or
malfunction.
Lime’s User Agreement can be found here: https://www.li.me/user-agreement
Equitable Ridership
Access to e-scooters can potentially provide a new, affordable mode of transportation to those
who need it most. To help encourage equitable distribution and usage of e-scooters, several
cities, including Providence, Portland, and St. Louis, have stipulations requiring e-scooter
providers to ensure e-scooters are distributed among a variety of neighborhoods.
St. Louis did so by specifying Social Equity and Inclusion Target Neighborhoods
(http://www.stlbikeshare.org/uploads/7/8/3/3/7833643/bike_share_social_equity_and_inclusion_targ
et_neighborhoods.pdf) “which mapped out areas with high concentrations of low income
households, people of color, households with no access to a vehicle, and non-English speakers. The
neighborhoods with high concentrations of those factors that were also within reasonable biking
distance of MetroLink and the urban core of the city were chosen as places that could benefit the
most from additional affordable transportation option.”
Lime has a program called Lime Access which provides access to their bicycles for people
without smartphones, bank cards, or people who live in a low-income household. Lime Access
users can text-to-unlock bikes, pay in cash, and receive a 95% discount on pedal bikes and
50% discount on Lime-E. Jeff Goodmark from Lime has confirmed that Lime Access will be
active for e-scooters as well.
Geography
Because of their relatively small motors, e-scooters struggle to climb steep hills such as those
that surround the Ithaca Commons. Scooters can be staged along hills and at the tops of hills to
provide users with downhill access.
Of the cities we questioned, both Providence and Harrisonburg have some significant hills.
Harrisonburg has a similar geography to Ithaca, with a flat downtown area surrounded by steep
hills. Harrisonburg reported that Bird stages quite a few e-scooters to serve students living at
the top of the hill. Ridership declines sharply in areas where the hills are steepest, but they did
report one student broke his arm as a result of a fall while riding an e-scooter down a steep
section of hill.
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Providence reported that e-scooters are not used as much on hills.
Lime has indicated that the hills surrounding Ithaca can be geofenced to prevent riding the
scooters up or down the hills.
E-Scooter Sharing in Other Cities
Sarah Barden and Megan Powers have communicated firsthand with city employees about their
e-scooter programs in four cities: Harrisonburg, VA, Memphis, TN, Providence, RI, and St. Paul,
MN. Portland, OR, provides extensive information about its e-scooter program online.
Reviewing conversations with these cities revealed several common themes.
● Cities use the NACTO Guidelines to model their MOUs and ordinances.
● Cities rely on their existing bike infrastructure for e-scooters (as opposed to building new
infrastructure).
● Cities limit e-scooter speed to 15 mph, at least in some areas.
● Cities employ selective geofencing to prohibit e-scooters from particular areas.
Geofencing uses GPS to establish a virtual perimeter around an area. The device’s
software can respond to the geofence in a variety of ways. For example, a geofence can
be set up so that an e-scooter cannot be ridden within a particular boundary (for
example, on the Ithaca Commons).
● Cities are concerned about poorly parked e-scooters. Lime scooters have generally
been parked well, and Lime staffing has been responsive.
● Cities are concerned about safety and want to launch education initiatives. Most have
not done so because of the logistics and cost involved.
● Cities struggle with citizens riding e-scooters on sidewalks but do not have a good
solution.
Harrisonburg, VA
Of all the cities MATCom investigated, Harrisonburg is closest in size to Ithaca. Like Ithaca, it is
a college town with a centralized downtown area. Harrisonburg was the least prepared of the
cities for the influx of e-scooters. Both Bird and Lime brought e-scooters to Harrisonburg before
the city had prepared e-scooter guidelines or established an MOU. Harrisonburg found itself at
the center of an escalating e-scooter competition between Bird and Lime and became
overwhelmed with the number of e-scooters.
The city was able to rein in the e-scooter companies and now has a good relationship with Lime.
It has worked with Lime to implement temporary geofencing for events. Harrisonburg is now
looking to expand the Lime fleet to include bicycles.
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More so than other cities we researched, Harrisonburg reported conflict between drivers and e-
scooters.
After the first 32 days with Bird scooters, Bird told Harrisonburg that there had been 26,779 total
rides, with an average ride length of 0.77 miles and duration of 8.9 minutes. During this period,
Harrisonburg estimates the scooters received an average of close to 5 trips per day.
During January and February, the Lime scooters averaged only 1.6 rides per scooter per day,
but this included two days of inclement weather where there were no rides recorded. Removing
these days, the scooters average between 2 and 2.2 rides per day.
Contact:
Wesley Russ
Assistant City Attorney
Wesley.Russ@harrisonburgva.gov
(540) 432-7110
Memphis, TN
Memphis studied how other cities responded to e-scooters and created an ordinance in
advance of their arrival in the city. When Nashville ejected Bird e-scooters from the city,
Memphis invited Bird there instead and quickly worked with Bird to create an interim operating
agreement.
Lime introduced 250 e-scooters after being asked by the city to wait for the interim agreement
with Bird, but Memphis responded by impounding the Lime e-scooters. Memphis negotiated a
deal with Lime two months later.
Improper parking that blocked ADA access was initially a problem in Memphis, but Bird helped
address the issue by firing some of the chargers who were not complying with regulations and
by including staffers who ride around the city and reposition poorly parked devices.
Memphis added e-scooter specific parking. Its bike infrastructure was lightly used, so the
introduction of e-scooters has not caused a strain.
Memphis manages volume by requiring e-scooters to average 3 rides per day.
A few citizens needed care at a trauma center following head injuries related to e-scooter use.
Memphis has since required that the e-scooter apps include rider education. Memphis has also
educated its downtown representatives about e-scooter usage for tourists.
Contact:
Doug McGowen
Chief Operating Officer, City of Memphis
Page 10
doug.mcgowen@memphistn.gov
(901) 636-6586
Providence, RI
Providence is interesting because it allows both cycling and e-scooter riding on its sidewalks.
The sidewalks in Providence are not particularly wide, and the increased ridership has caused
increasing tension. So far, there isn’t enough data to determine whether crashes between e-
scooter riders and pedestrians are more likely to occur in Providence than in other cities.
Providence is investigating several options to limit e-scooter riding on sidewalks, including
introducing a ban to riding e-scooters on downtown streets and explicitly linking allowed
sidewalk use with the lack of a designated bike lane.
Providence explicitly modeled its e-scooter policies on the NACTO guidelines and has the MOU
posted publicly via the city’s website: (http://www.providenceri.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2018/08/Scooter-policy-update-final-12-27-18.pdf).
Citizens’ reception to the e-scooter program has been less enthusiastic than the reaction to the
bike-sharing program. The on-the-ground team for the bike share component has generally
been more responsive than a similar team for the e-scooter program.
Providence currently hosts two e-scooter companies. One of them pulled out for the winter, and
the other has significantly reduced ridership, even though Providence has had relatively little
snowfall to date.
Providence charges its scooter providers $1 per scooter per day, and its scooters have
averaged 2.5 trips per day per scooter.
Contact:
Alex Ellis
Principal Planner
(401) 680-8522
aellis@providenceri.gov
St. Paul, MN
St. Paul currently has agreements with both Bird and Lime for e-scooter sharing. The city
preemptively addressed concerns about poorly parked e-scooters by including a provision that
the e-scooter providers would pay the city whenever a city employee was called to reposition an
e-scooter. The agreement gives the e-scooter company a window before the city employee is
called. St. Paul has still struggled with illegally or poorly parked e-scooters, but the city has
found that the e-scooters are repositioned or re-rented before its staff can arrive on the scene.
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St. Paul struggles with citizens riding e-scooters on the sidewalks (which is illegal) and in
various parks where bicycles and similar devices are banned. They hope to launch an education
initiative in the future.
Overall response to the e-scooter program has been positive. There have been complaints
about negative pedestrian-scooter interactions, but there has not been a noticeable uptick in
crashes.
St. Paul does not have an e-scooter program active for the winter but plans to renew
agreements for the spring.
The St. Paul MOU can be viewed here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3kAZ5t5YyDKem5LR3F3TDBoX1h5TUhxNHZpOU83YXVMeT
Q4/view?usp=sharing
Contact:
Reuben Collins
Transportation/Planning Engineer
reuben.collins@ci.stpaul.mn.us
(651) 266-6059
Portland, OR
We have not spoken with anyone in Portland firsthand, but Portland has made a wealth of
information available online.
Portland commissioned an independent, scientific study of e-scooter ridership and perceptions
as part of its pilot program.
On the whole, the people of Portland approve of the e-scooter program. Citizens with positive
views of the program stressed the flexibility, convenience, and fun of the program. Those with
negative views were concerned about improper or illegal use of e-scooters. Top priorities
among all survey respondents were education about and enforcement of the current rules
See Portland’s PBOT page for more information and to read its reports:
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/77294
Feedback from City Departments
Representatives from city departments we have interviewed have generally been positive about
implementing an e-scooter program. Most are concerned about helping to ensure safety and/or
to curtail improper parking.
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City Clerk
Julie Holcomb is especially concerned about safety and is willing to collaborate with Lime and
NGO’s like BikeWalk Tompkins to deploy education initiatives. In particular, she would like to
see a proactive education campaign prior to the launch of any pilot program. She recommends
a FAQ and timeline to be provided to City staff and downtown representatives. She prefers a
curfew that aligns with sunset to prevent scooter use after dark.
Engineering
Tim Logue suggests Ithaca ask the Health Department to help collect e-scooter incident data.
He also recommends we ask Lime to sponsor an independent study about e-scooter usage. He
recommends we wait to see where the e-scooters are used before introducing new
infrastructure requests. He is in favor of using a pilot program to learn more about how this
alternate form of transportation would be utilized by residents and visitors.
Fire Department
Chief Tom Parsons has concerns about insurance and liability, but his top priority is safety. He
would be in favor of e-scooters if Ithaca can implement requirements and education to make
their use as safe as possible.
Planning and Economic Development
The Planning and Economic Development Division was particularly interested in ensuring the
scooters and bikes are spread equitably throughout Ithaca. Scooter use is limited to people who
are 16 or older, but Ithaca Youth can benefit strongly from enhanced mobility options. An
agreement with Lime could also require Lime Bikes to be distributed so that they’re easy for
middle- and high-school students to use for accessing after-school activities.
They saw an opportunity to make The Commons more accessible by allowing scooters on The
Commons but limiting their speed to 5 mph. Unfortunately, the technology for scooters to
achieve this is not quite ready, and Lime recommends enforcing having no scooters on the
Commons.
JoAnn Cornish strongly endorses education initiatives and encourages training downtown
tourism staff to promote safe scooter ridership.
To address concerns about parking, Planning recommended considering drop-off zones for bike
and scooter share vehicles as seen in Seattle (https://sdotblog.seattle.gov/2018/03/15/new-
designated-bike-share-parking-areas-come-to-ballard/) to be designated with on-street/sidewalk
paint or installation of physical corrals or barriers. Locations would be chosen not to detract from
vehicle parking or interfere with accessibility.
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The Planning Division appeared open to an interim scooter agreement with Lime and would
appreciate a draft MOU that meets the NACTO Guidelines to serve as a basis moving forward.
They believe Lime should pay an operating fee of some amount to the City of Ithaca.
City Attorney
Aaron Levine recommended that he be involved in drafting the MOU if the city indicated interest
in pursuing a pilot program for e-scooters, but that he did not need to weigh in at this time.
Police Department
To date, we have not been able to schedule a meeting with the Ithaca Police Department.
Feedback from Lime
Jeff Goodmark from Lime says his company places emphasis on safety foremost and also
concentrates on accessibility, affordability, and availability of shared transport devices. Since its
bicycle-sharing launch in April 2018, there have been approximately 90,000 rides, with 12,000
of these on e-bikes. Lime currently employs several people in Ithaca depending on the season.
Currently, in the winter, Lime has two full-time employees and six part-time employees. This will
be increasing soon as temperatures increase.
Lime attests it will not launch e-scooters without a formal agreement to do so with the city of
Ithaca. The company is willing to conduct education and publicity events leading up to a
program launch. The maximum scooter speed will be set to 15 mph. The company will target an
average ridership of four rides per scooter per day. The Lime Access program is still available
with e-scooters.
While e-scooters are profitable to Lime, the bicycles are not. Consequently, Lime feels it is
important to introduce e-scooters to Ithaca. Lime would like to see e-scooters introduced in April
and requests that Ithaca sign an exclusive agreement with Lime for e-scooters.
New York State Law
Currently, e-scooters are illegal in New York State, but enforcement appears to be largely left to
individual municipalities.
A proposal in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s state budget would establish state traffic laws governing
electric bikes and scooters and authorize local governments to authorize them as they prefer.
FY 2020 Executive State Budget, part P, beginning on page 102:
https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/archive/fy20/exec/artvii/ted-artvii.pdf
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NACTO Guidelines
NACTO, the National Association of City Transportation Officials, developed a set of policy
guidelines it believes all cities should follow when navigating “shared active transportation.”
These are on pages 6-9 of “Guidelines for the Regulation and Management of Shared Active
Transportation”, v. 1, July, 2018: https://nacto.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/NACTO-Shared-
Active-Transportation-Guidelines.pdf
Conclusion
Sarah Barden and Megan Powers have found that on the whole, e-scooters represent an
exciting opportunity for the City of Ithaca. We believe Ithaca should develop an exclusive e-
scooter agreement with Lime, separate from the bike-share MOU, to launch a pilot e-scooter
program for a predefined, renewable period of time.
Ithaca should expect citizens to ride e-scooters illegally on the sidewalks. Residents will express
concern about both improper ridership and lack of enforcement. The city can help alleviate
these concerns by working with Lime to ensure proper ridership is supported and to leverage
local interested NGOs and groups to better educate residents. We strongly support a proactive
education campaign prior to the launch of the pilot program.
The parking of e-scooters will be a second area of concern. Ithaca should act proactively with
Lime to ensure its employees are actively monitoring scooters for improper parking.
Any MOU regarding e-scooters should follow the guidelines outlined by NACTO. Ithaca should
ensure the insurance and indemnification clauses are in place and that the maximum scooter
speed is limited to 15 mph. Ithaca should establish fees associated with e-scooter operation in
the city. Because e-scooters are more expensive to ride than bicycles, and because e-scooter
ridership is limited to those 18 and older, Ithaca should consider requiring Lime to maintain a
minimum fleet of bicycles along with the e-scooter program. Lime asked for an exclusivity
agreement for e-scooters. Ithaca is small enough that it is reasonable to work exclusively with
one provider until e-scooter riding is well understood.