New rules — and a new focus on equity — have arrived for Austin’s scooter rentals. Transportation and Public Works posted a new set of draft director’s rules governing the city’s shared micromobility program on May 12, which like a similar update to the residential parking program would offer tweaks in response to survey responses. […]
scooters
Posted inTransportation
City touts ongoing success in one-year update on micromobility program tweaks
Last April, Austin made changes to its micromobility program, cutting the number of scooters on the street by 2,000 and reducing speed limits among other things. In a one-year update, city staff say those changes have worked out as well as or better than expected. In a presentation to City Council’s Mobility Committee during a […]
Posted inTransportation
Audit: City needs better data to improve e-scooter rules
The city of Austin does not have enough information to ensure it can make and enforce rules governing electric scooters, according to an audit report presented to the City Council Audit & Finance Committee on Wednesday. The audit also indicated that the city has failed to include relevant parties in making those rules. Audit Manager […]
Posted inTransportation
New scooter rules are in effect now
As of this month, new regulations dictate how scooters operate in Austin. “I think it might be one of the biggest complaints we get in the office,” said Council Member Zo Qadri, who represents downtown. “For me, it’s not as much about the visual clutter. It’s about accessibility and safety.” Richard Mendoza, director of Transportation […]
Posted inTransportation
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 […]
Posted inEnvironment
Trash and scooters still clogging Austin creeks, study finds
The city’s attempts to keep garbage out of local creeks are still being stymied by discarded motorized scooters, according to the findings of a roughly six-month analysis of 20 watersheds throughout Austin. A memo released last week presented the findings of the Trash in Creeks field study that was completed this spring and gathered 19,467 […]
Posted inTransportation
Downtown Commission proposes stricter regulation of Austin’s scooter onslaught
Calls for firmer regulation of the dockless scooters, mopeds and e-bikes scattered about the city may hit the desks of City Council in coming months, as a recommendation from the Downtown Commission makes its way to the agenda. The recommendation proposes stricter requirements for providers to remove devices blocking sidewalks, crosswalks and other rights of […]
Posted inTransportation
Electric scooter and MetroBike use springs back from pandemic lows
As Austin’s streets took on a relative calm during the pandemic, the dockless electric scooters that drew love and fury when they appeared in 2018 were neglected by users. But now that people are returning to life as usual, the smartphone-enabled vehicles dubbed “micromobility devices” are making a comeback. Scooter ridership in Austin last month […]
Posted inTransportation
Lime and Wheels to pause shared mobility services
Lime and Wheels will be the first dockless mobility operators to disable device rentals in Austin in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Cities across the country are considering how to manage dockless mobility under rapidly evolving conditions. On Wednesday, the city of Miami ordered all shared mobility devices to be remotely disabled in an effort […]
Posted inTransportation
Ellis attempts to get scooters and other contaminants out of city waterways
When Council Member Paige Ellis was crafting the concept for a clean creeks initiative, she and her staff saw an opportunity to address one of the city’s more visible sources of creek and river pollution. When electric scooters end up in creeks, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it presents a problem not only for the health […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin Transportation to set per-trip fee for dockless vehicles
The Austin Transportation Department’s dockless mobility program has decided on a per-trip vehicle fee that could result in an annual revenue boost of around $800,000. In a Dec. 10 memorandum, Robert Spillar, director of transportation, said the department has decided a 15-cent per-trip regulatory fee for dockless vehicles like e-scooters is a “reasonable and practical” […]
Posted inTransportation
City no longer the ‘wild, wild west’ of scooters
Imprudent scooter users could now face fines of up to $40 for breaking the city’s new rules of conduct for micro-mobility devices (scooters, skateboards, etc.). Though they decided to postpone two of the Austin Transportation Department’s three proposed micro-mobility ordinances, City Council members unanimously approved the rider safety ordinance Thursday afternoon, adding only minor caveats. […]