Scooters spotted in Milwaukee

Pilot study approved by Common Council

Changes to electric scooter regulations at the state and local level this week mean residents are likely to see the scooters on Milwaukee’s streets quite soon.

In fact, Lime scooters were spotted off of West Mount Vernon Avenue at a self-storage facility early Tuesday afternoon. By 2:30 p.m. they were gone, but potentially not for long.

The company is planning to apply for a dockless scooter pilot study that was approved Tuesday by the Milwaukee Common Council. The measure allows dockless mobility systems, including scooters, to operate in the city as long as they are part of a pilot study that sets rules for their use.

The vote came just a day after Gov. Tony Evers signed legislation allowing local governments to regulate electric scooters. The law goes into effect on Wednesday.

The Department of Public Works has started accepting applications to the pilot program. Six companies — Bird, Lime, Uber, Spin, Lyft, VeoRide — have expressed interest.

Companies can have an initial fleet of 350 scooters and can increase the initial fleet size to 750 if the additional scooters are distributed across the city. Expansions up to 1,000 scooters might be allowed based on performance metrics.

Every month, the companies will have to share data with the city on their ridership, trip patterns, complaints and crashes. The companies will also be expected to have staff in Milwaukee.

Nico Probst, who handles government relations for Lime, said after Evers signed the bill Monday that the company didn’t know exactly when its scooters would be on Milwaukee’s streets. It was a matter of how soon Lime could turn its application around and how soon the city could approve it.

“It’s sort of an unknown, but we’re going to push for as quick as humanly possible,” he said.

On Tuesday, 12 aldermen voted in favor of the measure regulating the scooters in the city, while Ald. Mark Borkowski voted in opposition and Ald. Bob Donovan abstained.

Ald. Robert Bauman said he embraces the concept but wants to ensure respect for pedestrians.

“If there is not that respect and if we do see widespread violation of the nosidewalk rule, then the burden will be on the administration and the commissioner of public works to take action to protect the public health and safety of the citizens of Milwaukee and basically ban scooters again,” he said.

Borkowski said he didn’t see what was in it for the city. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when we’re going to be liable as a city because we allowed this to happen,” he said. “And I hope I’m wrong, and it’s nice that we have another form of transportation, but in good conscience I cannot support this.”