For Riders And Cities, Electric Scooters Offer Convenience And Danger

Companies including Lime and Bird have stocked city streets with scooters to rent for a quick trip around town. But some riders are getting hurt, and some cities aren’t sure how to regulate them so that walkers, drivers and other riders can stay safe.

By Shelly BrisbinSeptember 12, 2018 10:17 pm,

If you live or work in one of the state’s big cities, you’ve seen them around: green or black scooters parked on corners, against bike racks or even in the middle of a sidewalk. You can rent one for a several cents per minute for a quick ride, and they’re free of the hassles of driving or parking a car. But the influx of scooters isn’t without controversy, or risk. Cities are grappling with whether and how to regulate them, and riders are getting hurt. Our tech expert Omar Gallaga of Tech Minute Texas says flocks of scooters hit the streets before cities knew how to deal with them.

“These things go 15 miles an hour, which doesn’t seem very fast, but when you get thrown off of them, or hit a curb, it can cause a lot of damage,” Gallaga says.

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– Who put all those scooters on city streets

– How cities want to regulate scooters

– What risks scooter riders face