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U.S. NEWS Saturday 21 april 2018

San Francisco to require permits for rental scooters

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ The company, whose
Associated Press founder Travis VanderZan-
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — den was chief operating
San Francisco is ordering officer at Lyft and former
three companies that be- vice president of global
gan renting motorized foot- driver growth at Uber, start-
pedal scooters in the city ed a pilot program Tuesday
last month to stop operat- requiring San Francisco rid-
ing until they can ensure ers to take a photo show-
riders are obeying state ing how they parked the
laws and that the devices scooter at the end of their
are not a hazard to the trip, Estrada said.
public. Users who repeatedly vio-
City Attorney Dennis Her- late the rules will be sus-
rera said in letters to Lime- pended, said Kenneth
Bike, Bird and Spin that the Baer, a spokesman for Bird.
city has received numerous “San Franciscans have
complaints of riders whiz- logged more than 90,000
zing by on sidewalks, not miles on Birds, which shows
wearing helmets and park- that there is great demand
ing the devices on side- for new, environmentally
walks, obstructing the right friendly ways to get around
of way. this great city,” Baer said.
Despite previous warnings, Santa Monica’s city attor-
the scooter companies A man rides a motorized scooter as he approaches Market Street in San Francisco, Tuesday, April ney in December filed a
are “creating a public nui- 17, 2018. criminal complaint against
sance on the city’s streets Associated Press Bird, saying the company
and sidewalks and endan- the middle of sidewalks proved legislation requir- based LimeBike will roll out was operating without a
gering public health and and people riding without ing the scooter companies new initiatives next week permit and had ignored re-
safety,” he wrote. helmets. They have until have transit agency permits following the board’s vote, quired licensing and orders
Hundreds of the scooters April 30 to address com- to operate and to allow said company spokesman to remove the scooters
began appearing around plaints, he said. public workers to remove Joe Arellano. from sidewalks.
the tech-friendly city in Jack Handley, who works scooters without permits “In response, we are updat- Bird pleaded no contest
March, and were quickly at his family-run hotel, said from streets or sidewalks. ing our current community and agreed to pay more
picked up by riders. They he pays about $2 to use a The ordinance requires outreach plan to address than $300,000 in fines and
have become an annoy- scooter for about five min- companies to educate us- the city’s concerns about secure proper licenses.
ance for many because utes, which he said he rides ers about how to safely ride pedestrian safety, parking A spokesperson for San
they do not require dock- on the street. and store the devices and compliance, and rider ed- Francisco-based Skinny
ing stations and can be set “I can grab one and zoom establishes fines starting at ucation,” Arellano said in a Labs Inc., also known as
down anywhere when a on over to where I need $125 per scooter. statement Tuesday. Spin, did not immediately
ride is over. to go and then zoom right “Sidewalks are for pedes- David Estrada, chief legal return emails seeking com-
California law requires rid- back,” Handley said after trians and strollers and officer for Santa Monica, ment Tuesday.q
ers of motorized scooters dropping off a LimeBike disabled individuals and California-based Bird Rides
to wear a helmet, not carry outside a FedEx office in wheelchairs,” said the law’s Inc., said the company
passengers and not oper- downtown San Francisco. author, Supervisor Aaron wants to work with city of-
ate on sidewalks. The rules He said he would stop using Peskin. ficials to solve traffic prob-
appear in videos riders them if he is required to get “We’re not trying to ban lems in San Francisco.
must watch and sign off on a permit or wear a helmet. them,” he said. “But we “They request we do some
when they download the “I’m not going to carry a want to make sure that education for riders and re-
cellphone app that unlocks helmet with me,” he said. “I they’re operating in a way quest we implement some
the scooters. would rather walk than go that is helpful to the trans- technology to address
Herrera provided the com- through that headache.” portation problems of San some of the issues, we have
panies with photographs The San Francisco Board of Francisco.” all of that in the works,” Es-
showing scooters lying in Supervisors on Tuesday ap- San Mateo, California- trada said.