RECEIVE&Lectri Scooter Share Pilot
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CITY OF CALGARY RECEIVE&lectri Scooter Share Pilot IN COUNCIL CHAMBER Stakehol er Report Back: What We Heard DEC 1 6 2020 October 2020 ITEMf-7~'l rtf26'Z,O-t~ '°'=,\fi, CITY CLERK'S DEPARTMENT Project overview On 2018 July 16, a Notice of Motion was unanimously approved by Council to implement a two-year Dockless Bike Share Pilot by September 2018 with the direction to incorporate additional shared transportation options as they become available. Shared electric scooters (a-scooters) were added to the pilot program in July 2019. The pilot ended as of October 2020 and this report presents results from the engagement completed in September and October 2020. Engagement overview Citizens' and stakeholders' input help City leaders and decision makers better understand the perspectives and concerns of people potentially impacted by City decisions. The City's Engage Portal offers flexibility so citizens can participate online at a time and location most convenient for them. Through the Shared Micromobility page on the Portal, Calgarians were invited to provide their input on shared a-scooters from 2020 September 16 until 2020 October 07; 7,671 Calgarians took part. What we asked Participants were asked a variety of questions about their views, opinions and experiences related to shared a-scooters in Calgary during the pilot program; the questions can be found in Appendix A. Specifically, they were asked about: • Regular mode of travel • Perceptions of the availability of educational information, compliance and courtesy of users, the availability of places to ride and overall desirability of a-scooters • Where shared a-scooters should be allowed and how many should be allowed in Calgary • The top concerns and benefits (if any) • If they had contacted one or more of the three companies operating the shared a-scooters and how they felt about the response received We asked people who had ridden a shared e-scooter: • How many times they had, their reasons for using a shared e-scooter and community destination • How they would have traveled otherwise • Where they feel comfortable riding a shared a-scooter • Availability of shared a-scooters and any maintenance issues We asked people who had not ridden a shared a-scooter about their reasons why they didn't or couldn't. The questionnaire also included demographic questions to align with previous questionnaires. ISC: Unrestricted 1/343 Electric Scooter Share Pilot Stakeholder Report Back: What We Heard October 2020 In addition, participants were invited to share any other comments they had about a-scooters in Calgary. These were read by the Project Team. What we heard Participants reported using a variety of forms of transportation in their day-to-day lives. Walking was the most frequently used method, followed by driving their own cars. Bicycles and public transit were also common, followed by shared e-scooters. Carpooling, personal e-scooters, and rideshare and taxi services were used least often in routine travel. When asked about how considerate shared e-scooter users were in riding and parking the e-scooters, feelings were mixed but generally less than positive. The comments received at the end of the questionnaire suggest incidences of distracted and intoxicated users, and haphazard parking were a common concern for those who took part in this engagement. There was also a general feeling that more education about rules and safety was needed, as well as more enforcement of basic measures like helmets. The amount of infrastructure like bicycle lanes, pathways, and cycle tracks was viewed very positively by those who responded to the questionnaire, with more than 1.5 times as many agreeing strongly or somewhat that there was enough. Similarly, almost twice as many participants strongly agreed or somewhat agreed the idea of shared a-scooters was a good option for transportation in Calgary. In terms of where shared e-scooters should be allowed, participants were in favour of allowing shared e scooters to use bikes lanes, bike pathways and cycle tracks. Residential roads and sidewalks - when empty - were also acceptable, but sidewalks with many pedestrians were not. The comments participants offered at the end of the questionnaire included descriptions of and fears about collisions, particularly in areas that are heavily used by pedestrians or cyclists. There was little to no support for allowing shared e scooters on main streets in commercial areas like 17th Avenue, Bridgeland and Kensington Road or on major roadways like Memorial Drive and Macleod Trail. Overall, the top concerns people reported in this engagement were about breaking the rules - specifically traffic laws and everyday rules for sharing sidewalks and pathways. The danger to others, abandonment of shared e-scooters after use, interference with traffic and enforcement also rated highly. The safety of shared e-scooter riders was generally not seen as a concern. Many felt that their concerns applied to all communities, but the downtown commercial core, Beltline and Eau Clair areas were the most common specific locations. The Hillhurst/Sunnyside/Kensington area and Downtown East Village were also identified as problems areas. Cliff Bungalow/Mission, Inglewood and Chinatown were identified as problem areas the least often. Participants felt the top benefit of having shared e-scooters was as an added option for transportation. Being a fun recreational activity in the summer and making the city livelier also ranked high as benefits. The comments received at the end of the questionnaire were generally positive in terms of perceived benefits but often made a distinction between riders of shared a-scooters for practical travel and riders who were ISC: Unrestricted 2/343 Electric Scooter Share Pilot Stakeholder Report Back: What We Heard October 2020 seen to be using shared e-scooters as toys or for entertainment. Many participants identified a reduction in car trips in their top three benefits but fewer chose connecting people to local businesses and public transit. A little over 10% of the people who took part in this engagement felt there were no benefits to shared e- scooters at all or didn’t know what they would be. Of the over 7,600 individuals who responded to the questionnaire, about 1,000 had contacted one or more of the companies that operate shared e-scooters with concerns. Lime was contacted most often, followed by Bird and Roll. A majority of those who had contacted Lime and Bird were satisfied with the company’s response but a majority of those who had contacted Roll with a concern were not satisfied. As explained in the Summary of Input section below, this feedback only reflects those who responded to the questionnaire and may not reflect the experiences of others. About half of the people who participated in this engagement had used the shared e-scooters during the pilot. Two-thirds had used the shared e-scooters less than 15 times. When asked what method of travel they would have used if the shared e-scooter had not been available, walking was by far the most common option. One third would have taken a car, either their own, a ride share or cab, or carpooled with someone else. Relatively few would have taken their bike or transit or skipped the trip entirely. Almost two-thirds of the trips taken most recently were related to errands or traveling to or from work. Most often, their destination was in the Beltline or Downtown Commercial Core. Eau Claire, the Hillhurst/Sunnyside/Kensington area, Downtown East Village and Inglewood area were less common. Cliff Bungalow/Mission and Chinatown were the least likely to have been the destination of the participants’ most recent ride. In terms of where participants felt most comfortable riding the shared e-scooters, they were most comfortable on pathways, empty sidewalks and bike lanes/cycle tracks. Residential roads were less comfortable and busy sidewalks and non-residential roads were the least comfortable. Several of the additional comments described serious injuries and accidents, usually involving a collision in busy areas. Participants could usually find a shared e-scooter when they wanted one, but many reported they had ridden one with maintenance issues. Most of the people who had ridden a shared e-scooter as part of the pilot said they preferred having more than one company to choose from. As noted above, about half of those who responded to the questionnaire had not used a shared e-scooter during the pilot. When asked why, most were not interested in riding or felt they were unsafe. Some had not had the opportunity, or felt they were too expensive or did not have the app or a credit card that would allow them to try one. About 5% of the participants indicated that they were not physically able to ride on an e- scooter. Please see the Summary of Input below for charts and details. Verbatim comments can be found in the appendices; they include all feedback, suggestions, comments and messages that were collected online through the engagement described in this report. All input has been reviewed and provided to the Project Team to be considered in decision making for the project. ISC: Unrestricted 3/343 Electric Scooter Share Pilot Stakeholder Report Back: What We Heard October 2020 Any personal identifying information has been removed from the verbatim comments. Comments or portions of comments that contain profanity, or that are not in compliance with the City's Respectful Workplace Policy or Online Tool Moderation Practice, have also been removed from participant submissions. Wherever possible the remainder of the submissions remains. No other edits to the feedback have been made, and the verbatim comments are as received. As a result, some of the content in this verbatim record may still be considered offensive or distasteful to some readers.