MORATORIUM ON SCOOTERS CONSIDERED IN OAKWOOD

‘Shared mobility devices are largely unregulated.’

Oakwood is considering OAKWOOD — putting a one-year moratorium on the use of electric scooters and other shared-mobility devices.

Councilman Rob Stephens, who requested the moratorium, said the use of shared-mobility devises has caused a disruption to pedestrians and business owners in other cities.

“Dockless electric scooters and bicycles, which are available to be rented on demand from unstaffed locations, have arrived in many cities suddenly and unexpectedly and have proliferated rapidly,” Stephens said.

Stephens said the trend of dockless bike systems has grown over the past year around the country as companies spent large sums of investment money into the devices.

He added that many communities became infatuated with the idea of dockless bikes and scooters, which seemed to offer an environmentally friendly alternative to driving, as well as, an easy way to commute around town.

But the joy was short lived, Stephens explained, as many horror stories have started to surface in all communities large and small regarding abandoned bikes and scooters on public sidewalks and in parks and pedestrian becoming frustrated with the inability to negotiate there way around the devices while encountering operators who failed to drive responsibly.

“These shared mobility devices are largely unregulated, and they exist in a kind of legal limbo,” Stephens said, adding that the devices can’t be legally oper

ated on the streets. “Why we do not anticipate Oakwood being a major market for these devices, it is important to have legislation in place before the first vendor decides to locate here.”

As stand-up electric scooters have rolled into more than 100 cities worldwide, many of the people riding them are ending up in the emergency room with serious injuries. Others have been killed. There are no comprehensive statistics available, but a rough count by the Associated Press of media reports turned up at least 11 electric scooter rider deaths in the U.S. since the beginning of 2018. Nine were on rented scooters, and two on ones the victims owned.

Three companies have expressed interest in bringing electric scooter rentals to Dayton, and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said companies Bird, Lime and Spin approached or contacted city leaders about potentially expanding their services locally.