In Tulsa, OK we have the scooters.
There are pros and cons to having them in the area.
The biggest benefit I see is it has attracted more younger people to the downtown area which began a period of ongoing rejuvenation in the last decade or so.
1- Allow people to park their car in one place or leave it at home and quickly access businesses or events
2- Typically less costly than the bike rentals and you don't have to find a station to return them
There are a few major frustrations from my perspective
1- Unlike the bike rental stations, the scooters are left just about anywhere, often blocking accessible pathways.
2- Even though they aren't supposed to be ridden on the sidewalks, they often are. I understand riding them on the sidewalk because in areas with heavy car traffic and little walking traffic, it is safer for the scooter rider. However, it isn't fun to come walking around a corner or out of a door and almost be wiped out by a guy on a scooter going 15 mph.
3- Most people are not carrying a helmet around with them, and there have been some crashes with severe injury from someone hopping on without safety gear and getting thrown off.
They are beneficial but also have consequences that need to be assessed. Overall, I tend to be of the opinion that the downsides outweigh the benefits from the perspective of the overall community. A teenager getting across downtown with his friends faster isn't as critical as keeping accessible routes open.
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Heidi Wallace EI, A.M.ASCE
Engineer Intern
Tulsa OK
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-23-2019 05:55
From: Kenneth Mika
Subject: Scooter Revolution
It is not uncommon to see in the news how scooters are showing up in cities across the country.
Milwaukee seeks your feedback on dockless scooters, whether you ride them or not
There could be up to 10,000 scooters on D.C. streets come January
Portland increases electric scooter fleet to nearly 3,000
Currently where I live we do not have them, but they are a topic of discussion with young professionals and our local governments are trying to establish an agreement across municipalities on how they will operate in our greater community.
Are you an individual that lives in city or have you visited a city with scooters? What is your experience? Do you love them or hate them?
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Kenneth Mika, PE M.ASCE
<maskemail>kmika@...</maskemail>
Green Bay, WI
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