ITEM 7C

Staff Report

Subject: Establishing Regional Guidelines for Electric Sharing

Contact: Shawn Isaac, Program Manager ([email protected])

Recommendation: Consider regional guidance for electric scooter sharing.

Background: Electric scooter, or e-scooter, sharing has brought a new, innovative mode of transportation to many cities nationwide. The first scooter-share company, Bird, started in September 2017 by a former and executive. Soon after, Bird scooters started showing up in major cities across the country. Competitors followed, such as Lime, and Jump. Some companies also offer other forms of short-distance transportation such as bike share. These companies aimed to fill the gap in last-mile transportation for riders to reach their destination such as home, work, recreation, dining or shopping. Companies promote them as a convenient travel option that provide accessible means of mobility for low-income communities and also appeal to tourists.

Riders use a smart phone app and typically pay a per-mile fee. Riders are generally warned not to ride on sidewalks or park in the right-of-way. Many companies provide users with city-specific data on preferred parking locations. At night, e-scooter companies use short-term contractors to pick up the scooters, charge them and redistribute them to target areas the next morning.

Under current California law, e-scooters must be driven by licensed drivers who are at least 18 years old. They are required to be ridden on streets – in bike lanes or close to the curb – but not on sidewalks. California cities have had mixed experiences with them, particularly rogue launches where they arrive unannounced without obtaining proper permits and licenses. Cities have also expressed concerns with the dockless parking, as they can be left wherever users have reached their destination. In some instances, scooters have blocked ADA access areas, driveways, crosswalks, sidewalks and other important access points. Others have raised public safety questions, saying the potential use of scooters on sidewalks can jeopardize the safety of pedestrians.

Scooter sharing is not currently prevalent in the Coachella Valley, although two cities have addressed the topic through Council policy. On November 29, 2018, Bird dropped off a fleet of scooters in Palm Springs. They did not seek City approval before the surprise launch. That same day, Palm Springs Council met in closed session and directed the City Attorney to notify Bird to cease & desist all operations in the City within 24 hours. A few days later, the City confiscated more than 100 scooters that were remaining around town. The City plans to consider the matter on a February Council agenda.

Palm Desert also has set policy on e-scooters. On December 13, 2018, the Council adopted an urgency ordinance to prohibit scooter and sharing in Palm Desert, but indicated they wanted City staff to further research the issue and best practices. On January 24, 2019, the Council was asked to vote on a Shared Motorized Scooter Pilot Program with the company Spin. But the Council voted 4-1 to oppose the 90-day pilot program, indicating that the topic could be revisited at a later date.

If an e-scooter company were to launch in any one city, it is likely that neighboring communities would see riders cross jurisdictional boundaries. As such, there would be benefits to having a consistent, regional policy recommendation that could be vetted through CVAG committees. CVAG staff has already had initial conversations with scooter sharing companies and has spoken with our regional partners, including Sunline Transit Agency, about developing a regional approach. This approach would be consistent with other regional transportation plans and projects led by CVAG, including the Active Transportation Plan (ATP), the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program, and CV Link.

CVAG staff is seeking input and direction from members about what could be included in the policy recommendations. For example, e-scooters companies could be targeted to certain areas of Coachella Valley cities that could have high active transportation usage by residents and tourists. Providing direction to scooter sharing companies could mitigate issues prior to operation, such as limiting the number of scooters that can operate at a time, creating opportunities for public outreach and education, and restricting hours of operation. The objectives could be achieved through a regional model ordinance, a regional pilot program or even a regional CV Link scooter share program. Based on the direction and feedback, CVAG staff will work with each member jurisdiction to assess their needs.

Fiscal Analysis: Work on developing regional guidance for e-scooters is covered under existing staff time.