As Miami debates electric scooter rentals, city may extend temporary program again
The use of electric scooters in and around downtown Miami will again be considered by commissioners Thursday.
Commissioner Ken Russell is sponsoring a four-month extension to a program that allows dockless motorized scooters to be used in his district, which includes Coconut Grove, downtown, Brickell and Edgewater. Commissioners first agreed to create a pilot program in October 2018 only in Russell’s district to gauge the public’s interest and observe any issues that would arise.
In September, commissioners voted to extend the program through the end of 2019. Now, Russell wants to extend it to May 2020, while city administrators prepare to put out a bid so companies can compete for the right to operate in Miami. Right now, six companies are permitted under the pilot program: Bird, Bolt, Uber-owned Jump, Lime, Lyft and Spin.
Neighbors in Edgewater recently met with representatives of the six companies to air their concerns. Andres Althabe, president of the Biscayne Neighborhoods Association, told the Miami Herald residents’ opinions range from outright opposition to lukewarm tolerance.
Althabe said the residents’ issues boil down to speed, parking and sidewalks. He said with more pedestrians and bicycles using the area’s sidewalks than before, scooters that can reach up to 15 mph and be parked anywhere on public property are crowding walkways. The neighbors want to see the city and scooter companies do a better job of policing where they are parked and used, such as dedicated bicycle/scooter lanes.
“It’s getting crowded and uncomfortable. They have to do better,” Althabe said. “And they can.”
Russell would like to keep the program going while the city gets ready to hold an open solicitation that would likely lead to agreement with fewer companies to operate in Miami. So far, a majority of commissioners have not supported extending the program more than a few months. Even when the rules of a public bid are written, it’s unclear if there will be political support to open bidding to allow the rental of electric scooters permanently.
“That’s going to be the big question,” Russell said.
Some tweaks have been made to address initial concerns, including underage riding — riders must be at least 18 years old — and the requirement that scooters display serial numbers so people can more easily report scooters that are left in inappropriate places.
The City Commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Thursday at City Hall, 3500 Pan American Dr.
This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 5:30 AM.
