SURVEY: Shape the city’s upcoming scooter-share pilot program

Though Seattle doesn’t yet have a scooter-share program, that Lime scooter showed up mysteriously at 47th/Charlestown last month (thanks to Brian for the photo). You might see more of them soon, as the city is getting ready to launch a scooter-share pilot. First – you have the chance to take a quick survey to help shape the program. Second – the city has announced a public forum at City Hall next week, 6 pm on October 23rd. No word yet whether West Seattle will be included in the future scooter-share test run but these are your chances to voice hopes and concerns before the scooting begins.

40 Replies to "SURVEY: Shape the city's upcoming scooter-share pilot program"

  • anonyme October 22, 2019 (5:57 pm)

    The survey is even more absurd than the concept.  It is constructed in a way that does not allow any opinion that is anti-scooter, aside from a comment section.  But the most insane question of all was the last, suggesting that scooters be made widely available for people with disabilities.  I can see it now – all those folks in wheelchairs or seniors with walkers trying to navigate sidewalks crowded with Lime bikes, Jump bikes, and now scooters can just jump on a scooter instead!  Who are the absolute morons who come up with this stuff?

    • Wow... October 22, 2019 (7:19 pm)

      Elitist much? Disabilities can mean many things beyond being confined to a wheelchair. These programs should be as inclusive as possible to people of all different abilities.

    • KM October 22, 2019 (9:54 pm)

      Your definition of “disability” is narrow and offensive.

    • Jim P. October 23, 2019 (11:03 am)

      I concur, it is of the “Is this idea cool, really cool or wildly cool” sort that is meaningless as there is not even one question regarding use policy or if this is a good idea to have on the streets at all.It’s either PR stunt or was purposely written to be meaningless but let someone say later. “We took a survey and things are fine and not one person as opposed to the idea”

      • WSB October 23, 2019 (11:11 am)

        The survey is not described as a “scooters or no scooters” survey. It’s, as described above and in the SDOT source post that’s linked, a “shape the program” survey. But at the link, there’s also the email address:

        scootershare@seattle.gov

  • Jack October 22, 2019 (6:23 pm)

    Well, just remember, crashing your head into a curb at 15 mph  is just like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat at 15 mph.  

    • carole October 22, 2019 (7:40 pm)

      Not to mention losing your balance and breaking arm, or heaven forbid, a hip.  These don’t look motorized; they look like the scooters young kids ride.  More work than just walking.  

      • PangolinPie October 23, 2019 (8:20 am)

        Carole, they have motors.

  • Chris October 22, 2019 (6:44 pm)

    Silly question, but….How do riders of scooter and bicycle share programs evade helmet laws? In a hypothetical accident with a car, is the driver not liable because the rider didn’t have a helmet?

    • Kathy October 22, 2019 (7:40 pm)

      I would like to know the answers to these questions as well. 

    • Read the fine print October 22, 2019 (10:02 pm)

      The rider is liable for their own injuries.  The laws still exist, they are just not enforced.  When you use these share bike/scooter programs, you sign away your right to sue the company for any injuries you might incur while using them.  It is typically when you sign up with their mobile app, buried in the terms and conditions.  You should read those sometime, it’s pretty entertaining.  Some companies hide all sorts of fun nuggets of details you will cringe at.

  • Kk October 22, 2019 (6:51 pm)

    They are dangerous.  Was in Nashville crossing the road with the all way cross light and got run over by on not fun. Seen too many out of control riders 

    • AMD October 22, 2019 (9:58 pm)

      Really?  I just got back from Memphis where they’re everywhere and had no problems at all.  I can see how these can be fun and helpful, particularly for those who have trouble walking or biking distances but don’t want to drive the whole way.  Now the DRIVERS in Tennessee were horrible and if you told me you were hit by a car every time you crossed the street that would mirror my own near-death experiences with THOSE people.  But the scooters were no big deal at all.  No city that has them has alarming rates of scooter accidents.  If Seattle does, the problem is Seattle, not the scooters.

  • Joe Z October 22, 2019 (7:18 pm)

    We need more bike lanes, otherwise this isn’t going to work. The lack of a protected bikeway/scooterway from the bridge to the Junction is baffling. And why does California not have bike lanes with all of the businesses there and the smooth grade? Or at least a parallel bikeway/greenway? West Seattle is really far behind other parts of the city in that aspect. 

    • sbre October 22, 2019 (8:39 pm)

      Hey Joe Z~Does this help?…http://web6.seattle.gov/sdot/bikemap/

    • Don Brubeck October 22, 2019 (8:52 pm)

      Joe Z – You are right that WS is really far behind other parts of the city. But protected bike lanes are coming with the Avalon Paving Project, from the Alki Trail / Bridge Trail up Avalon Way to 36th, and later to SW Alaska when the long-promised Fauntleroy Boulevard project is built.  California Ave SW is too narrow for protected bike lanes.  A parallel greenway route on 42nd or 44th from Admiral Junction to WS Junction is planned (but not yet funded) for phase 2 of the West Seattle Neighborhood Greenway project.  Let the Mayor and City Council know it is important to you. http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/greenways-program/west-seattle

      • Joe Z October 22, 2019 (9:52 pm)

        I’m excited about the Avalon bike lanes. That will allow me to safely bike to Taco Time and Starbucks at least. But there is no way to bike beyond that, as the map shows. Unless you are willing to bike in traffic which I am not. So I drive my car to the Junction instead, which makes the Junction business owners think that they need parking to survive. 

  • David October 22, 2019 (8:11 pm)

    Great – more junk left on public sidewalks to trip over

  • Alki resident October 22, 2019 (9:03 pm)

    Looking forward to tripping over these on a sidewalk near by. 

  • Yma October 22, 2019 (9:07 pm)

    No, no & noenough already. The bikes are consistently vandalized &/or left blocking sidewalks. These scooters will be used on sidewalks meant for pedestrians. 

  • HS October 22, 2019 (9:11 pm)

    I rode them everywhere in San Diego. Absolute fun! I’m not sure how well they’ll work in Seattle due to our topography. There is no way a scooter would get anyone over 100lbs up a moderate hill here and the wheels lock to discourage pushing it around. Zones for parking them is a necessity. Anyway, I loved riding them, almost broke my leg in a crash, but would totally zoom around with them again. I agree with others in that they need to stick to bike lanes for safety. You have to transfer busses to go the length of Calif Ave which is silly. They’d be great along that corridor and around Alki. 

  • soarringcam October 22, 2019 (10:46 pm)

    Electric bikes, electric scooters, skate boards, hoverboards.None of these give you the proper cardio exercise, Walk jog run, and what out for all the above.

    • KM October 23, 2019 (8:06 am)

      If you think those don’t give you proper cardio, just wait until you try cars. Major health hazard!

    • KBear October 23, 2019 (10:51 am)

      You might be right about electric scooters, but you most certainly DO get a cardio workout on an e-bike.

  • Sally Tester October 23, 2019 (7:09 am)

    In Chrome and IE, the radio buttons don’t seem to work correctly–among the 7 questions, each level of importance could only be selected once. Given that there are 5 levels of importance, and 7 questions, this means two had to go unanswered. Am I missing something, or can anyone repro?

    • KBear October 23, 2019 (10:57 am)

      Yup. Survey is broken. Tried 2 different browsers. Previous selections get cleared when you try to answer the next question.

  • Airwolf October 23, 2019 (8:34 am)

    I ride my own personal scooter in Bellevue every day. With plenty of lights, bright colored clothing and most importantly a helmet. Most of the trip is bike lanes so i feel safe(ish). West seattle has very few bike lanes and i know people will not have all the safety gear when riding these. On top of that, e-scooters are not easy to control on  a downhill, i still am very cautious when doing that every day even though I have 2 years experience, imagine someone new. They will crowd public space already crowded by e-bikes. The scooters are not very good at going uphill without having to kick every couple of meters unless they are the super powerful types that cost thousand dollars or more, and we are full of hilly terrain in WS.  These are the reasons why I am against them in this type of program even though I ride one every day.  What we need is more bike lanes, sharrows are almost useless.  The survey is not helpful for those trying to voice opposition to the program.

  • Chris K October 23, 2019 (9:08 am)

    I am for any mode of transportation that is not a fuel-burning automobile.  As long as one person forgoes an automobile in favor of one of these, I would call this program a win.

  • Chris October 23, 2019 (10:04 am)

    I ride a scooter and it and scares the pants off me to think these are going to be available near bars when drunk people stumble out of the bars and think they can get on a scooter with NO HELMET and have a fun ride home.  That act alone in a place like Belltown and Capital Hill at 1AM on the weekend will lead to serious injury for the scooter rider and the the person/car they hit or the car that hits them if they don’t fall off before they hit something.  The beaks do not stop on dime on scooters.I think the city council members who drink should have a few and get on scooter with no helmet for the first time and then decide these should be widely available to the public.

  • House October 23, 2019 (10:04 am)

    I’ve been in many cities with these scooters and I’ve seen how tourists and locals alike enjoy their use.   The pilot must be robust and address safety concerns (path obstruction,  liability during injury, conflict with bicycles in limited bicycle path space).    The survey design seems trite-as though some SDOT staffer is checking off a box and not seeking meaningful feedback from all stakeholders.  I call that a community engagement fail.     

  • anonyme October 23, 2019 (10:05 am)

    For those on their sanctimonious high horses regarding definitions of disability, I happen to be one of those with an “invisible” disability as well as being a senior with mobility issues.  So the accusations of “elitism”, etc., are a rather ridiculous example of virtue flagging.  I’d like one of you to define for me a disability that would specifically benefit from the use of a scooter.  The fact is that this program, as well as the bike programs, are of great detriment to seniors and those with disabilities as they create blocking hazards on already crowded sidewalks, and add additional traffic that is in direct conflict with pedestrians.  Airwolf is correct that the survey did not allow for any answers that were anti-scooter, except in the comments section. 

    • Jim P. October 23, 2019 (11:10 am)

      Well spoken,  I walk with a cane and cannot stand still for long periods of time without serious pain, riding one would be impossible and you can’t carry any significant amount of stuff any way.These will be abused as many riders will ignore any and all traffic rules and even common sense safety. There’s enough privately owned ones making life hell downtown and elsewhere as is.Try dodging one in Pike Place when you’re not too agile in the first instance.And yes, they do go in there, rules be d***ed.  I’ve yet to see anything like a police presence or security.

  • Garin October 23, 2019 (10:22 am)

    I know that my opinion is not a popular one but I can’t wait for these. My wife and I used them in San Diego and had the best time.

  • MJ October 23, 2019 (10:28 am)

    Mandatory helmet use needs to be a part of the program!

  • Peter October 23, 2019 (12:10 pm)

    I can’t help noticing that the people who object to scooter because they’re “dangerous” seem to be restricting their criticism to scooter sharing and not privately owned scooters. If they’re so dangerous, why aren’t you all calling for a total ban on scooters? Or maybe it’s not about scooters at all, but rather just the same old, tired, anarchistic “everything the city does is wrong” whining that dominates almost all online forums?

    • Barton October 23, 2019 (1:37 pm)

      Or maybe . . . people who invest in a private scooter also invest the time to learn how to ride it property and in appropriate safety gear, as opposed to leaving a scooter on the sidewalk for anyone to use, regardless of their competence.

  • anonyme October 23, 2019 (12:34 pm)

    I can’t remember the last time I saw someone on a scooter, and until now it hasn’t been a big problem on sidewalks.  The city wants to change all that, which creates an entirely new range of difficulty for pedestrians.  There’s too much of that already, and the number of obstructions on sidewalks has indeed reached a dangerous level.  As for the anarchism comment, I’ll be more than happy (relieved, even!) to congratulate the city on a job well done – when, and if, I see it.  However, the city has a history of wrapping bad ideas (and levies) in misleading social justice packages that have no relationship to the snake oil on offer, nor benefit to the recipients named.

  • JDM October 23, 2019 (3:37 pm)

    Most personal insurance companies  have not contemplated a way to provide coverage to the user or someone hit by a user.   This is because there are exclusions for motorized vehicles unless insured on an auto or motorcycle policy.   Because these are borrowed or rented, they aren’t added to a policy like that.   Even if you have an umbrella, there could be issues where the umbrella requires a policy (like an auto, motorcycle policy) to engage first.   The insurance industry is still playing catch up to our new “shared economy” so consider this liability exposure that you may not be able to cover when using ebikes or electric scooters. 

  • TM7302 October 23, 2019 (8:39 pm)

    Let’s spend millions on dedicated scooter lanes, that will fix everything…

  • Mr b November 4, 2019 (6:45 am)

    I live in Boise now. Scooters are very popular within the city.  There have been accidents (someone drove into a construction hole) and people have jumped curbs flipping head over teakettle.  Considering the number of users and crowds they work well. One exception…We are flat no hills .  I can see  usage on Alki but not usage in downtown  sidewalks and curbs need to be in good shape. Good questions regarding injuries and who is responsible? I almost got hit by a bike in West seattle…quick  reflexes from both parties prevented a collision. So with scooters some guidelines should be in place to address safety and usage guidelines.

Sorry, comment time is over.