All ‘charged’ up
Some city lawmakers want to legalize electric scooters in the Big Apple to help move commuters during the impending L-train shutdown — despite the hundreds of injuries and a fatality that have plagued share programs around the country.
The zippy rides, which can reach 15 mph and are wildly popular in cities like Washington, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Denver, would be on the streets by the dreaded April subway closure under a new plan.
“The L-train closure is going to be a disaster,” said Councilmember Antonio Reynoso, who represents East Williamsburg, Bushwick and Ridgewood. “The city needs to be as open-minded as possible.”
City officials earlier this year changed the law to allow pedal-assist electric bicycles, which are now available at bike shares in some neighborhoods.
An electric-scooter bill has been proposed by Councilmembers Ydanis Rodriguez, who heads the transportation committee, and Rafael Espinal, who represents BedfordStuyvesant.
As for the safety issues, Jonah Allon, spokesman for Espinal, said, “We are coordinating with the DOT and other agencies to see what is the safest way to incorporate escooters onto our streets.”
The scooters have had issues in other cities.
On Friday, Carlos SanchezMartin, 20, was fatally hit by an SUV in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, while riding a Lime e-scooter. He was dragged around 20 yards to his death, according to DC cops.
A Salt Lake City emergencyroom doctor said he’s seen a massive uptick in scooter injuries since the electric vehicle- share program opened there this summer. From June to mid-September of this year, Troy Madsen’s ER saw 21 scooter injuries, compared to eight during the same period last year.
The injuries have gotten more severe, according to Madsen, who works at University of Utah Health.
“They were surprisingly sig-
nificant injuries,” he said. “Many of them were fractures of ankles and arms, and we had quite a few serious head injuries.”
Many of the injured riders reported that they had been intoxicated while riding and weren’t wearing helmets.
“A lot of people are going bar-hopping and using them between bars,” Madsen said. “They’re inexperienced and not wearing helmets.”
Some New Yorkers say they’re wary of the scooters.
“Reality is people are going to try to go wherever they can go,” said Haz Khawaja, 47, who works in Crown Heights. “I guarantee you, someone is going to ride it on a sidewalk, and someone is going to be walking a dog and get annoyed, and someone is going to go flying off that thing.”