City cracks down on e-scooters, implements nighttime ban

By Collin Kelley

After four deaths, numerous accidents and untold numbers of complaints from residents, the City of Atlanta has taken steps to decrease the number of dockless electric scooters and electric bikes on the streets.

On Aug. 19, the Atlanta City Council passed legislation to stop the issuing of new permits for sharable, dockless mobility devices. This comes on the heels of a nighttime ban on the renting and riding of e-scooters/ bikes from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. that went into effect on Aug. 9.

One report suggests that the city has more than 10,000 dockless devices and a myriad of companies – Bird, Spin, Jump, Lime, Bolt and others – dispatch a fleet of e-scooters/bikes to the sidewalks on a daily basis. Residents have complained about the e-scooters blocking sidewalks, roadways and being stacked in heaps.

“It is evident that immediate action is necessary to keep Atlanta’s residents and visitors safe,” Mayor Keish Lance Bottoms said in a statement on the nighttime ban. “Sadly, we have seen a pattern in the recent and tragic fatalities involving scooters – they all occurred after sunset. Having a variety of mobility options is critical to any city, but safety must be our top priority. This nighttime ban, while we continue to develop further long-term measures, will ensure the safest street conditions for scooter riders, motorists, cyclists, those in wheelchairs and pedestrians.”

The administration said it working on additional measures to ensure road safety, including an accelerated plan to create dedicated spaces for cyclists and scooter riders on city streets and a revised selection process that will allow the city to choose a limited number of dockless vendors to operate devices on the streets. The expected selection process is anticipated to be completed by February 2020.

Earlier this summer, the Atlanta BeltLine imposed a geofenced speed limit on the e-scooters along the Eastside Trail so the top speed is only 8mph.

“As a major city, we believe there is potential in engineering the smart integration of this popular mode of transportation,” said Department of City Planning Commissioner Tim Keane. “The devices go a long way in providing last-mile connectivity and convenience to residents, students, businesses and visitors. But it is vital that we pause and assess how we move forward in a responsible way, with public safety always being the top priority.”

In light of the recent changes, vendor Gotcha, which held a license for 500 devices, said it would be leaving the Atlanta market.

The City of Nashville in Tennessee recently voted to decrease the number of dockless vendors in the city after an e-scooter rider was killed and residents complained of reckless behavior by riders and too many of the devices blocking sidewalks.