Councilman Steve Kozachik leveled some of the harshest criticism of the staff proposal last week, noting that the city already doesn’t have the staffing to deal with shopping carts lying around in Tucson neighborhoods and 2,000 electric scooters is only going to add to the problem.
Kozachik, whose ward includes downtown Tucson, Fourth Avenue and the University of Arizona, says he is concerned about accidents.
“I can’t see these things riding in the street with traffic, with the streetcar, with pedestrians, with bikes, 15 miles per hour in those congested areas being anything but a huge red flag and an accident waiting to happen,” Kozachik said.The Arizona Republic reported last week that in Tempe alone, the fire department there responded to more than 100 accidents since e-scooters showed up in May.
This was reported in the Arizona Daily Star on January 17, and updated on January 18, 2019.
Questions:
1. What is your experience with electric scooters in the city where you live? Has it been successful, or a nuisance?
2. Do you currently ride e-scooters to get around town? Explain your experience.
3. What do you think of Councilman Kozochic's concerns? Do you think Tucson could handle 2000 e-scooters?
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ReplyDeleteI have used e-scooters in California and I also work for Bird Scooters when I am in Scottsdale/Tempe. I do not care to ride them but I make money recharging and releasing them. I would love to see them pop up in Tucson because its super easy money to earn on the side as a busy college student. I think it will have its challenges but this is a good idea. There are lots of money hungry college students that can easily manage these e-scooter fleets.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a widely debated topic around the nation as e-scooters become more prevalent. ASU has already banned them on campus, even though the scooters are available all around the Tempe area. The scooter companies have complied with this by not allowing the rides to be ended on any campus property.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally to agree with Chase, these companies employ local people to assist with the day to day operations. This counters the argument that the city does not have the staff to control shopping carts. The companies already accept this responsibility for the scooters. I say to allow the scooters to come to Tucson, even if there must be some predetermined policy set with the city and university.
There were no electric scooters in the town I lived; however, I have had friends who used them. Based on their experience, I felt electric scooters are something that takes a long time for the public to accept, but will be an essential way to commute in the future. Just like Uber that dealt with privacy and security issues in the beginning, Bird/Lime can improve on regulations and make their business very popular among young college students. Bird/lime tackled the demand of college students of needing something cheaper than a lyft and faster to navigate through narrow streets to their class.
ReplyDeleteFor Councilman Kozochic's concerns, Bird/lime can easily make regulations and heighten entry requirements to allow electric scooters in Tucson. With increased car and traffic in Tucson, Bird/lime can create less traffic if people use the scooters instead of cars.
I've never ridden one of these electric scooters, but I know they are very popular where I live in Southern California. In cities such as LA and San Diego, I've seen many people using them to get around. While people love them, I've read a few articles about Bird and similar companies having to fight cities on the legality of the issue.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Councilman Kozachik's concerns, I think he makes a very viable argument. Tucson does not have the funding to keep up with city regulations as is, and adding 2,000 scooters is not going to help.
Related articles: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-county-scooter-rules-20190121-story.html
In my experience the electric scooters have been very convenient to use as compared to calling an Uber or Lyft. They are scattered all over the city in Tempe, and make it nice and easy to hop on and get to somewhere efficiently. Although, it does seem to be a little bit of a problem in more populated areas because they tend to make a mess all over the streets, and then you have riders weaving in and out of pedestrians that are walking the sidewalk. One of the best things companies like Bird have done is to create a cut off time at around 10pm to prevent intoxicated riders in Tempe.
ReplyDeleteI do believe this would be good for Tucson and would cut down on the overwhelming Uber surges and create a great alternative for students to get around. Most students here are from out of state and do not have a car with them, so I think by having electric scooters here would give them an opportunity to safely get around. In regards to Kozachik's comments about the scooters, I believe they would do more good than harm.
I currently do not have much experience with these electric scooters since where I am from they aren't available. I live fairly close to Arizona State University however and they do have these scooters on the sides of the street but I have yet to actually use one.
ReplyDeleteCouncilman Kozochic's concerns sound legitimate as I feel Tucson already has problems with the streets like pot holes, traffic, construction and like he said shopping carts. Although I do see these electric scooters potentially causing issues, I would still like to see them around the UofA. I think they would be a big hit for students giving them an alternative way to get around campus.
I have personally only used the e-scooter once in Phoenix, and I thought that it was an interesting concept. I see how Kozohic's concerns can be a safety problem in towns with a high population. In addition, people can hide scooters which also is concerning since the business model is centered around people being able to take an e-scooter wherever they want.
ReplyDeleteI have never used an electric scooter but have seen them around Phoenix and Austin (when I was at my internship)! Although it may start to be a nuisance when these scooter companies begin to expand and there are more scooters on the sidewalks, at the moment I don't think it is annoying. I agree with Kozohic's concerns about safety but also believe there are steps that can be taken in order to keep the streets safe. At the time, I couldn't imagine Tucson with 2000 scooters but never say never.
ReplyDeleteI am from Chicago, IL, and my city has not implemented or used electric scooters. We do have a large use of segways as the city provides segway tours. However, this is allowed because Chicago has a lot of parks and space off of the busy streets to hold such kind of traffic. We have a lot of sidewalks and paths of off Lake Michigan that offer a lot of space. However, there is no way I could envision scooters in Chicago as we have some of the most traffic and very narrow one-way streets.
ReplyDeleteI personally have never rode an electric scooter. Yet, I do know that in southern California, there are a lot of them available to rent in cities like San Diego. This makes sense to me as these cities are large, yet not as busy and more leisurely.
I agree with Councilman Kozochic's concerns about implementing electric scooters in Tucson because we already have a large issue with bicycle traffic on the roads and accidents. If we barely have enough room for all of the bikes we have here on the roads, I could only imagine the scooters being more of an issue. Plus, Tucson consistently has a lot of road construction and issues with large pot holes. This seems like a safety hazard to the Councilman and to me, as well. There is a lot of issues that the city of Tucson already has to tackle, and scooters would just add to stress and issues of the city, in my opinion.
I attached a link to an article that discusses the danger that comes along with electric scooters: https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/29/health/scooter-injuries/index.html
I have used electric scooters in the Phoenix / Tempe area, and I have had a positive experience every time. Nearly every college-aged person agrees that the scooters are a welcome addition because of the flexibility and ease of access they provide. While I don't rely on them regularly, like some of my peers, I will use them if I happen to encounter one while walking in order to speed up my commute time.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do believe that Kozachik's concerns have merit, I believe that the benefit the scooters bring outweigh the risks. Not only will the scooters bring a new, convenient method of transportation, they also bring jobs. Some of my friends in Tempe are employed by the scooter companies and tasked with tracking down the scooters at night so they can be charged and kept safe for the evening.
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ReplyDeleteI've definitely seen more and more scooters all over cities like Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, and Phoenix. Most of the scooters are either gathered in small groups, or scattered in areas that you wouldn't imagine a scooter being there in the first place! Even so, most riders try riding on the sidewalk where, if it weren't busy, would be very convenient.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do think electric scooters are more convenient than walking, I do have to agree with Kozachik's point with it being inconvenient on the road. I can't see an electric scooter riding alongside a car in normal traffic. However, in a neighborhood or maybe in the bike lane I can maybe see the most use out of an electric scooter.
In my opinion the electric scooter solves a modern day problem of needing versatile transportation for short-distance travel. There are many points of why the scooters can inhibit the general populations use of public sidewalks and other walkways. Concerns over scooters getting left in obscure places does not really seem to be much of a problem in areas where I have already seen scooters. The scooters also produce jobs for people who collect and charge the devices.
ReplyDeleteBeing from Tucson, I personally believe the presence of scooters would be a great addition to the town. I have been to places where scooters are available and it was a thrilling experience not to mention inexpensive form of transportation. I think this type of business is successful and will continue to grow merely based on the connivence provided to users.
ReplyDeleteI understand where Councilman Kozochic is coming from, but change for the better is always a good thing. Especially for Tucson, I strongly believe it would stimulate economic growth and signal that Tucson can be more than just a college town.
I have never been in a situation where I was in need of using one of these electric scooters. When I am in the city of my hometown, I rely on my car for transportation. If I lived in a city that was not phoenix, but maybe somewhere more like New York, where people rather walk or use bikes, I could see this coming in handy. Otherwise, I think that these electrical scooters are going to be more useful for locations such as NYC, and should be segmented more towards those places.
ReplyDeleteBecause I don’t have the personal experience of riding these scooters, I can’t give it a “thumbs up or thumbs down”, but while driving my car, I have spotted them randomly places on sidewalks. I always comment on how agitating it is to see a random scooter left “abandoned” for other people to run in. To me, I think this is most definitely a nuisance— it could be compared to trash left on the floor; it just looks unclean and scattered.
With all this said, I am in 100% agreement with the voiced concerns of Councilman Kozochic. Tucson is an older city, with narrow sidewalks. I feel that with the reports of fire departments of incidents pertaining to the scooters, this is a sign/warning not to continue forward in pursuing more electric scooters in the city of Tucson.