Fayetteville preps ordinance to regulate e-scooters

NWA Democrat-Gazette/STACY RYBURN Sloan Scroggin (left) and Sarah Marsh (right), both Fayetteville City Council members, listen Tuesday as Peter Nierengarten (center), the city's sustainability director, speaks during the council's meeting at City Hall. The council went over a proposal to regular electric scooter rideshare programs in the city.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/STACY RYBURN Sloan Scroggin (left) and Sarah Marsh (right), both Fayetteville City Council members, listen Tuesday as Peter Nierengarten (center), the city's sustainability director, speaks during the council's meeting at City Hall. The council went over a proposal to regular electric scooter rideshare programs in the city.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The scooters are coming.

The City Council will consider a proposal Tuesday to regulate electric scooter rideshare programs and operators. Electric scooters are two- or three-wheeled mobility devices with a tall handle bar and standing floorboard. An electric motor propels riders no faster than 15 mph, and the devices weigh less than 100 pounds. They are different from a motorbike scooter in which the rider sits and steers.

The proposal came up during the council's meeting. An act the Legislature passed late in its session becoming law this year allows private scooter companies to set up rideshare programs throughout the state. The measure becomes effective July 24.

As a result, the city inserted an emergency clause into the proposal to make it effective immediately upon City Council approval. The state law allows local governing authorities to establish reasonable standards, rules and regulations for the safe operation of the scooters and their presence on public property.

The debate will lie within what is considered reasonable, Assistant City Attorney Blake Pennington said. Before the change in state law, cities could dictate if the scooters could be left within the right of way, he said. For instance, if a company set up shop in a city that didn't want the devices left in public spaces, they could be impounded.

Any scooter program in the city would function similarly to its dockless bikeshare program with VeoRide. In that program, users pay a certain rate and unlock bicycles through an app on their phones. There are about 500 total, relegated mostly to areas in and around downtown through geofencing. Standard seven-speed and electronic-assist motorized bicycles are available.

The city partnered with the University of Arkansas to put out bids and select a company for the bikeshare program. The proposal won't limit the number of companies offering scooters, but proposes limiting the number of scooters to 1,000. There would be a permitting process with each vendor. The city's proposal will have no bearing on any university policy regarding scooters.

The law enables vendors to designate no-park, no-ride and slow-ride zones as designated by the city. Riding scooters on sidewalks with buildings fronting them would be prohibited, said Peter Nierengarten, sustainability director for the city. For example, scooters moving along the sidewalk outside the doors of businesses on Dickson Street poses a safety hazard to people coming out.

Scooter riders in the programs have to be at least 16 years old under the state law. The companies providing the service also will be required to report data about use to local authorities.

Little Rock proposed ending its scooter program early this year, citing issues with rider safety, but extended the contract for the program last month. The mayor of Nashville, Tenn., is recommending the city ban scooter rideshare programs after a man died when a vehicle struck him last month.

Council Member Sloan Scroggin said he worried the scooters could create an unsafe situation in walkable parts of town. He said he wants to research the topic more.

"I have almost been ran over many times in other cities that have them," Scroggin said.

Council Member Matthew Petty said they can provide the missing gap between bus routes, and be especially useful for people who can't afford higher-cost transportation. He encouraged the council to keep an open mind.

"I don't think those benefits are things we can ignore," Petty said.

Web watch

To read the text of the state Legislature’s act that became law enabling scooter rideshare programs, go to:

bit.ly/arscooterlaw

Next meeting

The City Council will discuss regulating electric scooter rideshare programs during its next meeting.

When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Room 219, City Hall, 113 W. Mountain St.

NW News on 06/26/2019

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