Rogue scooter operators could face fines in Denver

Photo byJan Antonin KolaronUnsplash

Denver City Council member Chris Hinds is again sounding off about dangerous scooters whizzing about the city.

He said people ride the scooters on sidewalks, which is prohibited, and never even get a ticket. He said riders also park the scooters in the right of way, making it difficult for pedestrians and people in wheelchairs to get around them.

Hinds gave a presentation about the scooters to the Budget and Policy Committee Monday. He previously discussed the problem of scooter menaces during his Friday Facebook live chats in 2021 and 2022.

Almost no enforcement

Of 20 million scooter trips in Denver since 2018, police only have ticketed nine riders, Hinds said. He obtained statistics from Denver Health that showed during a 23-month period ending in 2023 that an average of four people per day were seen at the hospital due to injuries on scooters, costing $65 million annually. He said three out of five scooter crashes occur on the sidewalk.

Hinds said Lime and Lyft, the operators of scooters in the city, promised to have 200 scooter docks each built by 2022. But so far only about a combined 100 docks pepper downtown Denver. This leads to scooters being parked all over the place.

Cities have found different ways to regulate the scooters, but all require enforcement, Hinds said during a presentation to the council. Some cities, such as San Franciso and San Jose, have sidewalk detection technology. If a scooter enters a sidewalk, it will either slow down, stop, or beep. Other cities have allowed scooter companies to charge riders more when they violate the law by riding on sidewalks.

Some cities charge fees

Some cities charge people who do not return the scooters to a dock a fee. Hinds did not make any recommendations Monday and the council did not vote on the issue. In the days ahead, Hinds wants to hear from his colleagues regarding enforcement.

Council President Amanda Sandoval said the scooters frequently end up in the Platte River. She said she sees them from her office. She said a nearby skate park is a hot spot for scooters left in the right-of-way. She said she’s tired of complaining about it because nobody ever comes to pick up the scooters.

Scooters create safety hazards

Council member Darrell Watson noted that when scooter riders come flying down a sidewalk on Park Avenue, his mother doesn’t have time to get out of the way. She could be struck, he said.

Residents during Hinds’ live chats said they can’t hear the scooters coming because they are electric. The faint bell on the devices sometimes can’t be heard, they said.

While pedestrians and people in wheelchairs fear the errant scooter riders, the scooter riders fear being struck by an automobile while riding in the street. Much of the city does not have protected bicycle lanes, although it is not clear whether scooters can legally use bicycle lanes, Sandoval said. She admitted she used the sidewalk during a rare scooter ride because the street seemed too dangerous.