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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.
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