San Diego set to impose new e-scooter restrictions

San Diego City Council is set to vote on new regulations that could have a major impact on its e-scooter scheme.

Under rules proposed by the Council’s Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the city’s 11,050 e-scooters could be reduced to 8,000, and the seven firms currently operating services could be cut to just two.

Companies would be selected under a request for proposals (RFP), and be required to pay an annual US$20,000 fee in addition to US$0.75 a day per device.

Strike a balance

“The proposed amendments to the City’s Municipal Code for Shared Mobility Device (SMD) regulations are designed to strike a balance between scooters continuing to be a viable mobility option for many people, while at the same time mitigating some of the complaints from residents,” said Kristy Reeser, Deputy Director of San Diego’s Sustainability and Mobility Department.

Seven firms – Bird, Lime, Link, Lyft, Spin, Wheels and VeoRide – are currently authorised to operate in the city under permits that expire at the end of July.

The proposed changes would clamp down on e-scooter and bike use on pavements, prevent the parking of scooters on pavements, limit speeds and ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“If they’re put into effect and enforced, it’s going to be a big improvement in our opinion,” said Jonathan Freeman, Founder of advocacy group Safe Walkways.

“They [the city] really need to step up and put resources into enforcement.

“Up to now, they’ve done nothing over four years that has been effective in enforcing the regulations they already have. So, that’s our big worry.”

Industry response

Some e-scooter firms have welcomed the move towards tighter regulation.

Justin Ireland, Operations Manager for Lime, said: “San Diego has been an amazing city for us since we relaunched here last summer and we believe the sky’s the limit for micromobility here.

“We are constantly working with the city and the micromobility working group to refine and improve how sharing e-scooters and e-bikes in San Diego works and we’ve actually already implemented the majority of changes the city recommended.

“We plan to be here long term and we look forward to continuing to serve the city and our riders, making our programme even better with time along the way.”

The council is expected to vote on the proposed regulation changes later this month.

Image: Mack Male (Flickr)