The City of Greensboro wants to know what you think about the electric scooters that are primarily seen in the downtown area and around college campuses.
In August 2018, the scooters just started showing up in the streets and on the sidewalks. The city had no regulations about the electric scooters, which didn’t fit in any vehicle category. They weren’t bicycles. They definitely weren’t cars or trucks. So what were they?
After some discussion the Greensboro City Council in November 2018 decided to have the scooters removed from the streets until the legal issues could be worked out. And perhaps most importantly the city had to figure out how it was going to make some money from the scooters.
In January 2019, Lime entered into a contract with the city where it paid $500 a year licensing fee and $50 per scooter for a six month pilot program, which has allowed Lime to put over 250 scooters in Greensboro. The contract actually ended Aug. 1, but the city is extending the contract until a decision is made about how to move forward.
According to the law, the scooters are supposed to be ridden in the street not on the sidewalk, but it appears in the downtown area, scooter riders prefer the sidewalks. Riders are also strongly encouraged to wear helmets, but it’s rare to see a rider with a helmet.
The City Council considered the six-month contract a pilot project, to see how the regulations work and to find out what people think, but evidently someone decided they needed more time.
One undeniable fact is that the e-scooters are popular.
There’s an online survey that can found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/E-Scooter_Survey or by going to the City of Greensboro website.
