The E-scooter Share Pilot Project in Chicago City

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To: Gia Biagi, Commissioner of Chicago Department of Transportation From: Subject: The E-scooter Share Pilot Project in Chicago City Date: 1.1 Executive Summary In 2019, you initiated a four-month e-scooter pilot project to decongest traffic in Chicago city and allow residents to commute faster and conveniently to their various destinations within the city. The second round of the project was rolled out again from mid-August to mid-December 2020. The e-scooter system has proven successful in several cities around the world, and was therefore projected to be a success in Chicago city as well. While this was a noble idea that was meant to help Chicagoans commute with ease around the city, the e-scooter projects of 2019 and 2020 have encountered several challenges and failed, The city of Chicago has this time deployed 20,000 scooters to cover the entire city. The 2020 pilot program will help to determine whether e-scooters should be allowed as a means of transport in Chicago city.

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1.2 Background of the Problem The 2019 four-month pilot program was unsuccessful because riders would park the e-scooters recklessly thus blocking sidewalks. Secondly, there were also over 200 cases of scooter-related accidents as users had not learned how to use them properly, and would rush into oncoming traffic in the streets. Thirdly, it is extremely cold and snowy in Chicago during the winter, and people do not want to ride scooters in such conditions. Fourthly, it costs time and money to charge the scooters, there have been insufficient charging stations in both phases of the e-scooter program. Fifthly, bike-share services already cover a significant portion of Chicago city, therefore making e-scooters less necessary (Belk, Eckhardt & Bardhi, 2018).

The decision on the best modes of transport for the city of Chicago are made by the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, who in this case, is Gia Biagi. The Chicgo Department of Transportation launched the second pilot program to make it easier for Chicagoans to commute short distances within the city. In general, there were no significant changes made between the first phase and the second phase of the project, and as a result, the escooter project has ended up becoming as chaotic as the first.

The e-scooter project is highly viable and this evidenced by the fact that it has helped to decongest other major cities around the world. However, the city’s Department of Transportation should conduct more intensive research on the project before rolling it out to ensure that it is of benefit and not an inconvenience to the city.

1.3 Possible Options and Solutions The implementation of the e-scooter project should have been preceded by a thorough analysis of its viability. The city currently has a bike share system which serves it well enough, thus there is little need to introduce a new transport method ("E-Scooter Share Pilot Program", 2020).

However, since the program has already been rolled out, there are various ways that the issues arising from e-scooters can be resolved.

E-scooters pause a grave danger to users because many lack the skill to use them safely.

Therefore, the most crucial step is to develop an app where riders must watch video on e-scooter safety before unlocking it. This will reduce the number of accidents that are caused by reckless riding (McCall, 2020). The city should also ensure that riders are well protected by providing shared helmets along with the scooters. Additionally, wearing these helmets should be made mandatory when using a scooter.

The city has collaborated with e-scooter companies to distribute 10,000 e-scooters throughout different parts of Chicago city ("City of Chicago Launches 2020 Shared E-Scooter Pilot Program with Enhanced Focus on Equity and Safety", 2020). These are far too many scooters, and it is bound to cause the same level of chaos as was seen in 2019. The number of scooters should be reduced to a more manageable number. This will help to bring more order to the city.

Additionally, e-scooters are more useful in university campuses during winter for students who have to walk in the cold weather from building to building on-campus. Scooter use should be restricted to areas that have sufficient space to accommodate their safe use. These areas include campuses and parks. The e-scooter pilot programs of 2019 and 2020 have sufficiently proven that introducing a new mode of transport without implementing the correct measures poses a danger to people’s lives, and causes more disorder than order. To ensure order, there should be structure in the parking of scooters. The city should designate specific areas where scooters will

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be parked ("E-Scooter Share Pilot Program", 2020). Anyone who is caught parking a scooter away from these designated areas will be fined and suspended from using them for a certain period, for instance two weeks. It is also necessary for the city to set up enough charging stations for scooters. In the past, there has been a problem where e-scooter users are forced to abandon them mid-trip when the charge runs out. For user safety and convenience, it is crucial to ensure that there are sufficient charging stations, and that the e-scooters are fully charged before use.

1.4 Benefits Chicago city has the second worst traffic in the United States, and the plan to introduce escooters was meant to address this challenge. However, due to the incorrect implementation of the program, it has caused even more inconveniences to the public. It is, therefore, of utmost importance for the city to develop clear and concise structures that will effectively guide escooter use within the city. The above mentioned recommendations have worked for other cities in the world, and if correctly implemented, will facilitate traffic decongestion in Chicago. Some of the benefits of implementing the solutions include; less traffic accidents, better e-scooter users’ safety, and a faster and easier way for Chicago residents to commute short-distance trips (Kozlarz, 2020). A lot of time, and consequently money, is lost when people spend too much time in traffic. The correct implementation of the e-scooter project will ensure that the residents of Chicago spend time on activities that are beneficial to them, and to the city.

1.5 Conclusion The city of Chicago is renowned for its traffic problem. This problem is caused by its high population density, and its location next to a lake, which limits the space available for roads. The city’s economy has also been on a steady rise which ultimately necessitates the need for people to move around the city. I recognize the fact that the city is working hard to decongest the city, and the e-scooter pilot program is one of its key decongestion plans. However, implementing the project without proper structures in place will introduce more problems to the already challenging situation. Chicagoans need to be properly educated on how to safely use the escooters, and where to park them. It is equally important to provide an ample number of charging stations to ensure that the scooters are well-charged for the entire duration of the trip. Overall, I acknowledge your efforts in trying to solve the city’s major transportation issues.

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References Belk, R., Eckhardt, G., & Bardhi, F. (2018). Handbook of the sharing economy. Edward Elgar Publishing.

City of Chicago Launches 2020 Shared E-Scooter Pilot Program with Enhanced Focus on Equity and Safety. (2020). Retrieved 28 October 2020, from https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/bike/news/2020/august/city-ofchicago-launches-2020-shared-e-scooter-pilot-program-wit.html E-Scooter Share Pilot Program. (2020). Retrieved 28 October 2020, from https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/escooter-share-pilot-project.html Kozlarz, J. (2020). Chicago’s traffic was the second worst in the nation in 2019, says report.

Retrieved 28 October 2020, from https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/2/14/18224967/chicago-traffic-report-worst-nationtransportation McCall, V. (2020). Love Them Or Hate Them, E-Scooters Are Returning To Chicago This Summer. Retrieved 28 October 2020, from https://www.wbez.org/stories/love-them-orhate-them-e-scooters-are-returning-to-chicago-this-summer/3ca5fa8a-0d78-43e2-954da0b068dc3f68

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