E-scooters emerged in 2017 as a new shared mobility service in the United States. Like bike share and car share, the service provides a shared vehicle – an electric-powered scooter – to rent for one-way trips and are to be used in bike lanes and in shared-use paths. After almost 9 months of developing and refining regulations and permit requirements around the introduction of shared mobility devices in Tucson, the City is about to embark on a 6-month Pilot Program to test out how e-scooters might fit into the mix.
Helping us understand how this will work is Andy Bemis, City of Tucson Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Coordinator. Andy explains some of the goals the City has for the Pilot program, such as providing a low-cost mobility option for people wanting to replace short car trips or to connect to public transit, and how the City will be collecting public input and scooter data to determine if the program is meeting these goals.
We also talk about how the City is looking to address some of the common safety and parking concerns seen in other communities. The City is currently reviewing proposals from several companies and we will likely see e-scooters on the streets by early August.
Pedaling the Pueblo is a mini-program and podcast that connects people to news and information about Tucson’s bicycle culture. A collective of bicycle enthusiasts host and produce weekly programs covering a wide variety of topics. From community events to questions about how bicycle funding works; tips to start riding more to interviews with local bicycling legends, Pedaling the Pueblo explores life on two wheels from a “people first” approach, allowing us all to have an open dialogue about how people move through our shared built environment.
Content is responsive to and driven by the community, so if you have a question or topic you’d like to hear covered, email us at [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook.
