E-scooters: How Europe’s Cities Are Responding

Dallas is not the only one. Here is a nice run-down ( forgive the metaphor) on regulatory responses to the dockless scooter phenom in places where bikes are already part of the culture.
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Three Things that Could Make for an E-Bike Revolution:

...affordable bikes, places to ride safely, and secure storage. Riders would get more exercise and we all get a cooler planet.
https://www.treehugger.com/bikes/3-things-are-needed-e-bike-revolution.html

What we said to the City Transportation Department

...about e-Scooter policy:

Greater Dallas Planning Council (GDPC) – Mobility Task Force July 17, 2019

Some suggestions for the next round of rental bike and scooter regulations:

We (the Mobility Taskforce of GDPC) have been monitoring developments in the micro-mobility space since our visit with City staff in May. Clearly, the current pace of change is unprecedented, and warrants continued study. Our taskforce is greatly encouraged by the resourcefulness and energy of the Dallas Department of Transportation staff. We committed to add our voices – as architects, engineers, planners and citizen-activists – to the many good ideas that are already being considered. Please consider the following commentaries in that context.

1. Micro-mobility or “mi-mo” (pronounced “my-mow”) is rapidly emerging as a practical alternative to the automobile. In addition to walking, scooters and bike--share rentals offer “last mile” connectivity to the transportation mix, perhaps as viable alternatives to driving automobiles, perhaps as a default form of local urban mobility. We applaud Dallas DOT’s minimal regulatory approach in the 2018 extension of the Dockless Mobility pilot. This allowed everyone to learn from experience, as the technology and business models evolve.

2. Dallas, along with numerous other cites that permit dockless platforms has experienced widespread flaunting of proper usage on our urban sidewalks and streets. For mi-mo to function properly, Dallas will need to adapt its street configurations to better accommodate them. Whatever course the city decides from here, most area leaders and stakeholders are calling for street design alternatives. Concepts such as “complete streets” and “mobility (bike) lanes” must be addressed in any infrastructure redesigns, and the associated policies to accommodate wise choices in both these areas will be critical to the success of accommodating these modes.

3. It’s apparent that the device investors see potential for substantial revenue and profit, particularly with subsequent sale of user data. City staff are clearly committed to data-driven decision making. They see this inherent outcome – and acknowledge that the current dockless business models in play must become better understood by regulators. GDPC supports the DOT’s call for access to dockless operator data, preferably through, at least partial, access to their API.

4. GDPC also supports the City proposing increases in mi-mo operator permitting fees. This is not intended as exploitation; but is an acknowledgement of the city’s underlying economic and social inequalities. We encourage a proposal to require that operators make devices available in underserved neighborhoods, and offering some kind of cash-card option for the rental of these devices.

5. We appreciate Dallas DOT’s focus on public health and safety aspects of these new forms of mobility, especially given the alarming spikes in trauma arising from use of e-scooters in particular.  We believe the current scooter designs (operated whilst standing, on small diameter wheels, at speeds exceeding 12 mph) are inherently dangerous for all but the most agile riders. And even then, only on smooth pavement. Add to that the power capabilities, the  high centers of gravity and short wheelbases of current models – clearly call for replacing these with devices more townspeople can safely operate and make hand signals from. Wireless speed controls and applications of “geofencing” could also do much to help control unsafe use. The latter technology might also be applied to counter the device stationing that has far too often left our parklands and sidewalks cluttered if not obscured. Interventions may require a carefully considered and well-organized public-private partnership that can serve to incentivize and spur adoption of locations for orderly, convenient staging and returns.

6. Finally, the Mobility Taskforce believes that the device providers must do much more to educate users -- and even withhold rentals from use by repeated scofflaws.

All such efforts should be made in the context of a commitment to Vision Zero for traffic fatalities in general.

The City of Dallas DOT, in its wisdom, has seen the possibility of a new transportation hierarchy – one that could reverse some of those acknowledged adverse impacts.

We, the Mobility Taskforce of the Greater Dallas Planning Council, offer our emphatic encouragement, and hope that City staff will achieve the political support for making these changes going forward. We pledge to do all that we can to help the City achieve these objectives. We look forward to continued collaboration as the City staff prepares the next set of policies and regulations.

Please advise us of any specific steps we may take to be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

W.J. ‘Bud’ Melton III, Chairman

2019 GDPC Mobility Taskforce

WJM/JEC

Autonomous is here...

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/technology/2019/08/06/self-driving-trucks-cruisingdown-45-dallas-houston

Dallas Morning News Defends Scooters

Editorial, today:

Dallas can enjoy the benefits of scooters, but only if we get serious about their dangers

By now, most of us have seen the smartphone video of a guy tooling along on Interstate 35E on an e-scooter. It proves one thing: you can’t outlaw stupidity.

It is possible, however, to curtail recklessness, and do it without losing what we like about scooters as a mode of getting around. That’s why it’s important to take a deep dive into the data on scooter use before the Dallas City Council makes a call on whether to extend permission for scooter companies to operate in Dallas — a review due in November.  

Riders in the downtown area are supposed to stay off of the sidewalks in the central business district, obey the rules of the road that apply to cars and trucks and not ride on streets where the speed limit exceeds 35 miles per hour. No doubt as a motorist or pedestrian, you've dodged riders who have violated all of these rules.  

 But let’s take a look at the ridership data. As expected, e-scooter ridership peaks on weekdays between 5 and 6 p.m., and during the morning rush hours. This means that Dallas commuters are using scooters to get to and from work. And that has had a small positive impact on public transit ridership.

 According to DART, the arrival of scooters has coincided with a 4% increase in train ridership at the Pearl and St. Paul stations, key stops in the heart of the central business district. DART thinks the availability of scooters makes it more enticing for workers to take a train into downtown instead of driving and parking. And that is consistent with studies in other cities. In Portland,  for example, about one out of three e-scooter trips would have otherwise been made by private car or ride-hail services, one study concludes. 

Still, user safety, and the safety of pedestrians and drivers around scooters, are legitimate concerns, though according to some studies scooters are less dangerous than bicycles. Nationally, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study earlier this year found that the injury rate on scooters was 14.3 per 100,000 trips. Most of the accidents didn’t involve other vehicles and could be attributed to inexperienced riders without helmets hitting a bump and losing control. Locally, Baylor Scott & White earlier this year estimated that scooter injuries have generated more than $1 million in hospital costs. 

Dallas needs to further study the costs and benefits and not react reflexively to calls to ban scooters entirely. Transportation Director Michael Rogers, Dallas’ transportation director, recently told the digital newsletter Dallas Innovates that the city plans to work with SMU and two tech companies to develop solutions that work for scooter companies, riders and pedestrians. He also told the newsletter that he might recommend to the council that scooter providers curtail late-night operating hours, where he says most injury accidents occur, and explore ways to stop riders from zipping around on crowded city sidewalks.

 In Deep Ellum, business owners and the city have posted signs reminding scooter riders that cruising on the sidewalk is illegal. The police department is also increasing citations for people who ride on the sidewalk and will pursue a public education campaign to discourage illegal and reckless operation. 

We are glad to see the police commit to enforcing existing regulations and urge the city to continue to work to allow scooter riders to coexist with the rest of us. Dockless e-scooters operate in more than 100 cities in the United States and in several foreign countries. With sensible regulation, better and protected bike lanes, and responsible riders, e-scooters should be part of Dallas’ transportation options for years to come.

Texas Road Funding for Safety

“State transportation officials are considering a plan that would earmark $390 million to help reduce highway deaths by straightening roads, improving lighting and adding guardrails.”

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