Council delays vote to expand e-scooter regulations, fines

City Council will wait until next month to begin the work that will bring more regulations and standards to the city’s bustling market for motorized scooters.

Council voted on Thursday to delay action on a resolution that would direct city staff to explore increased fines for improper use of the popular scooters, known in city policy circles as micromobility devices, as well as possibly limiting the extent of their use in some areas of the city. The resolution is slated for Council’s April 20 meeting and is expected to be pulled for discussion at a work session prior to that meeting.

Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who sponsored the item, said on the dais Thursday that she needed to know more about the scope and intent of the desired regulations before voting on it. She later explained her position in a posting on the City Council Message Board that included a revised version of the resolution.

“As someone who is deeply invested in making our city more accessible, efficient, and safe, I believe that micro-mobility has the potential to revolutionize the way we move around Austin. However, I also recognize that this is a complex issue that requires input and feedback from the whole Council. That’s why I’m inviting you to share your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions about my resolution,” Kelly wrote.

The e-scooters, which are monitored and transacted remotely, have grown massively in popularity since the industry first moved into Austin in 2018. According to city data, there are more than 10,000 units in use across Austin from a variety of private companies, leading to more than 10,000 rides per day.

Concerns arose over the scooters almost from the start, with residents and local leaders worried about the safety of pedestrians sharing sidewalks or crosswalks with them. Incidents of scooters being discarded in local waterways or environmentally sensitive areas is another concern, as is the impediment that improperly parked units can create on sidewalks for those with disabilities.

Last month, the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities passed a resolution supporting a Downtown Commission recommendation approved last year that called for strict scooter regulations, including fines for riders of up to $250.

“It’s such a barrier for people with various types of disabilities, whether you’re blind and you cannot see the correct pathway … people with any type of upper mobility strength disabilities cannot lift a scooter out of their way, or utilize a wheelchair if (a scooter) is directly in the path of their access,” Committee Chair Jonathan Franks said.

August Harris, chair of the Downtown Commission, told the Austin Monitor that he regrets not pushing staff and City Council to follow through on the resolution the group approved last April. He said his interactions with scooters traveling at high speeds against the flow of motor-vehicle traffic during the South by Southwest festival this month illustrated the need for increased regulations.

“This (delay) is certainly disappointing because scooters are still an issue, and we’ve asked several times for data on injuries. I’m very curious about the issue and possibility of geofencing and how tightly we can constrain geofencing, because obviously having scooters off the sidewalks is critical because they are so much faster than and pose a great danger to pedestrians,” he said. “If we can have them more tightly constrained and reduce their speed in high-pedestrian areas like Congress Avenue, we can at least create a safer environment for everybody. The nuisance of scooters doesn’t go away, but we can mitigate some of the challenges scooters present.”

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