IRENTALS:
Electric scooter and bike rentals, which proved wildly popular in Orlando and at UCF, won’t be allowed in unincorporated Orange County after Friday.
Electric scooter and bike rentals, which proved wildly popular in Orlando and at the University of Central Florida, won’t be allowed in the I-Drive area or any other pockets of unincorporated Orange County after April 3.
County commissioners voted unanimously to impose the moratorium last week, saying a closer look at the rented mobility devices is needed. The action was endorsed by the International Drive Business Improvement District in the tourist corridor.
The ban does not affect escooter rentals in Orlando or at UCF, which have adopted their own rules, though the novel coronavirus pandemic has idled many of the rental machines.
Four of Orlando’s five e-scooter vendors recently suspended operations, a city spokeswoman said.
Rentals declined sharply as the pandemic grew.
On the busiest ridership day in March, before Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings’ stay-athome order, vendors reported more than 3,900 rentals in Orlando. But by March 24 the ride count plummeted to less than 300.
County officials also expressed concerns about how riders leave sidewalks scattered with bikes and scooters, which become obstacles for pedestrians or people who use motorized wheelchairs.
As far back as as Nov. 2018, county officials were concerned about what they saw in Orlando.
Jon Weiss, director of Orange County’s Department of Community, Environmental and Development Services, returned from lunch and tapped out an email to transportation colleagues, making, including Mark Massaro, then-director of public works.
“Saw a ton of bright green Lime-E (electric) bikes parked right on intersection corners and sidewalks. They are all GPS tagged, but they aren’t locked, so anyone can take them from anywhere and leave them anywhere. I can easily see how this has the potential to become an ADA and maintenance nightmare. “
ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal civil rights law which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life.
The purpose of the law, enacted in 1990, is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
Orlando spokeswoman Karyn Barber said the city fielded more than 60 online complaints about e-scooters between Jan. 21 through March 24. Careless parking is the most common complaint, Barber said.
Vendors Lime, Spin, Wheels and Bird have suspended operations in the city.
But Lynx City scooters and HOPR bikes are still in operation.
UCF started with 300 e-scooters on campus in January but quickly added 150 more.
The university’s student government awarded an exclusive contract for a one-year pilot project to Spin, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, which reported more than 20,000 rides in the first month on campus.
The devices are restricted to the campus as a “virtual fence” prevents them from traveling off campus.
Spin is, for now, removing its fleet of e-scooters from campus since classes are no longer meeting in person for public health reasons, university spokeswoman Rachel Williams said.
“When campus operations return to normal, it’s intended that the service will return,” she said.
A bike-share program, “UCF Bike N Gold,” also will return when campus operations are back to normal.
Alec Dian, founder of Newt Mobility, pleaded unsuccessfully against the ban.
The Kissimmee-based vendor is one of two companies offering e-scooters rentals in the I-Drive area.
“This will completely destroy our company,” he said.
Several commissioners raised safety concerns about the scooters, which can travel up to 20 mph.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings noted the machines seem to be everywhere.
“I see them all around our administration building, all over the place, in flower beds and parking spaces and the middle of the parking lot, middle of the road,” he said. “It’s creates a little bit of a nuisance sometimes.”
The ban is set to last until next January or until the county adopts new rules — whichever is sooner.