Cluttered sidewalks? Car replacement? Both? Miami plans vote on fate of e-scooters
Miami has seen close to 2 million electric scooter rides since it began tracking them last April.
For Commissioner Ken Russell, the figure is a sign of the extraordinary demand among Miami residents and tourists for the vehicles.
But for Andres Althabe, the figure is one vastly greater than what the city can handle.
As president of the Biscayne Neighborhoods Association, which encompasses territory stretching from Northwest 14th Street to Northwest 39th Street and from Biscayne Bay to North Miami Avenue, Althabe has seen a construction boom in the past few years that has brought thousands more residents to his area.
That has meant more pedestrians on sidewalks — and the potential for more collisions with the vehicles, he says.
Althabe says the city must more strictly enforce the safety guidelines of the pilot program, which call for penalties for leaving scooters in rights-of-way, imposes an age requirement for riding and bans multiple riders.
“Bring them back in a year,” he said.
The fate of scooters in the city may be decided Thursday, as the Miami commission has scheduled a vote on whether to extend by six months the pilot program that has allowed the scooters to be operated in Russell’s District 2, which includes Edgewater, downtown, Brickell and Coconut Grove.
As proposed by Russell, the extension would allow the city to move forward with a request-for-proposal that would make the scooters’ presence permanent.
That’s an outcome the city is not prepared for, some activists say.
Amal Solh Kabbani, president of the Downtown Neighbors Alliance, echoes Althabe’s concerns. In addition to the safety issues the scooters now pose, their proliferation has grown to such an extent that they are now simply a nuisance, she said.
“There are so many that it’s just plain ugly,” she said.
Solh Kabbani says riders are either misunderstanding or ignoring the rules of the program.
“Right now, you can just open an app, request a ride, and do what you want to do,” she said. “There needs to be better enforcement, and a better understanding of where you can and cannot drive.”
A spokesman for Miami Fire Rescue said he was unaware of any fatalities that had occurred in the city involving scooters, but did not immediately have information on incidents that may have led to injuries.
In a statement, the Miami Parking Authority, which oversees enforcement of the scooter pilot program, said it had imposed fines totaling $6,175 in December and $4,175 in January against companies in violation of the program. The MPA fines companies $25 per incident and impounds scooters parked improperly on sidewalks, roads, private property or are deemed to create a safety hazard. The MPA issues a $100 fine in instances of underage, unregistered or otherwise unauthorized individuals riding the scooter.
The authority said it had impounded 247 scooters in December and 123 in January.
Boca Raton resident Stephen Rimer says his permanently disabled daughter, a Miami resident, now faces obstructed sidewalks when scooters aren’t parked properly — and sometimes even when they are.
“It’s become obnoxious,” Rimer said. “You’ve got people flying around on the sidewalk with seemingly no control...it’s a great idea, but the city has not evolved.”
Among the companies hoping to stay on Miami’s streets is Miami Beach-based Bolt. Bolt executive vice president Will Nicholas
says the scooter industry is in a nascent and, at times, hectic stage — but that the city has a well-run program. Bolt also operates in Fort Lauderdale and Richmond, Virginia.
“I think [the city] is taking the program quite seriously,” Nicholas said.
Other companies competing include San Francisco-based Lime. The company said it marked its millionth rider this month in the South Florida market, which includes Fort Lauderdale.
“Florida is a very robust state with very significant ridership,” said Uhriel Bedoya, Lime’s general manager for Florida. “In other markets where scooters have not been as successful, you simply don’t see as many riders wanting to use them. But it is the case here that riders are excited to use this solution.”
The fate of scooters has varied widely across the nation. They remained banned in New York City, with an exemption for ones personally owned. In Florida, a state law passed last summer gave municipalities local control over the vehicles’ fate.
In November, Fort Lauderdale commissioners voted unanimously to keep the scooters around, even after dozens of accidents and at least one fatality. In December, Orlando commissioners voted unanimously to enact a scooter pilot program. Meanwhile, a ban in Panama City Beach is slated to kick in in September.
Russell says he is aware of the complaints.
“This transit option, of riding a scooter instead of driving or riding, also comes with negatives,” he said. “There’s a lot of clutter. People do leave them in the street; they get ridden in areas they’re not supposed to be, and this causes distress among pedestrians.”
Under Russell’s plan, the pilot program would be extended for another six months in a current or slightly modified form, as companies compete for four available licenses to operate. Russell said past performance during the pilot program would not necessarily affect a company’s ability to apply.
“If it doesn’t work, we’re going to stop it,” he said. “But if it does work...we’re going to get it right. We continue to need to educate riders, and this all comes with growing pains. But rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater, we want to see if we can create a program with maximum benefits and minimum negatives.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
