Since their arrival in Omaha in 2019, electrical scooters have shortly unfold throughout the Cornhusker State nearly as quick as a specific sickness that I promised to not speak about in our newest podcast.
A yr later, in September 2020, dockless scooters began popping up in Lincoln, and this summer season, they expanded outstate to Columbus and Kearney.
Some have claimed that scooters are the future of transportation, driven partially by a pandemic that has made folks uneasy about conventional, shared public transportation. Given their current reputation, it positive appears that the shiny new scooters littered throughout Lincoln sidewalks stands out as the future, however they shouldn’t essentially be adopted completely simply because they’re new.
Lincoln’s Fowl and Spin electrical scooters are presently a part of a pilot program that was scheduled to final for one yr, however this system was just lately extended to the top of 2021 in order that policymakers may look at how scooters could be used throughout a extra typical college yr with in-person lessons.
In my view, electrical scooters are the second most annoying downtown transportation methodology second solely to pedal pubs, however private annoyance alone isn’t cause sufficient to dismiss the scooters as the way forward for city public transportation.
Fortunately, the town of Lincoln has documented the pilot program extensively and has launched a report in April in regards to the scooters, and a detailed studying doesn’t paint the rosiest image.
Scooters have been first dropped at Lincoln as a strategy to remedy the last mile downside of public transportation. Individuals are usually keen to stroll as much as 1 / 4 mile to get to a public transit station, however past that, it could typically develop into impractical.
Electrical scooters supposedly remedy that subject by making it simpler to get round downtown with out having to stroll lengthy distances, however the price is simply too excessive to justify its advantages over the choice.
The scooters value $1 to unlock after which an extra value per minute. It value a 10/11 NOW reporter $6.66 for a 10-minute journey. I’m not saying scooters are the satan, however the price does increase some questions.
On condition that the common scooter journey is 13 minutes and 15 seconds, in keeping with the mid-year report, riders are doubtless paying a median of $8. The common size of electrical scooter rides in Lincoln was 1.12 miles, which implies that scooters have been touring at a median of simply over 5 miles per hour. Walkers common a speed of three to 4 miles per hour, which begs the query: Is an additional mile per hour of velocity for a 13-minute journey value a Chipotle burrito?
Lincoln’s electrical scooters have a high velocity of 15 miles per hour, however the hazards of pedestrian visitors and frequent cease lights appear to decelerate that potential.
Pedestrian visitors shouldn’t be a hazard in any respect since it’s technically unlawful to journey an electrical scooter on a downtown sidewalk — the truth is, doing so after the preliminary scooter introduction part may result in a $500 high quality or as much as six months in jail.
Nonetheless, given the variety of scooter riders that use the sidewalks, there isn’t a approach that everybody may even slot in jail, particularly given the state of Nebraska’s prison system.
Apart from, whereas scooters could pose a menace for pedestrians on the sidewalk, inserting them on downtown streets amongst semi vehicles and metropolis buses whereas they scoot alongside at a median of 5 mph looks as if a catastrophe ready to occur.
Scooters are allowed on ninth and tenth streets, the multi-lane, one-way remnants of I-180, however they don’t seem to be allowed on the sidewalks alongside them. I beforehand wrote about my considerations on this stretch of street as a motorcycle rider, and I think about scooters are in an much more precarious scenario.
It’s no marvel most scooter riders are discovered on the sidewalk, not the roadway. Actually, 33% of riders didn’t even know sidewalk using was unlawful, the report discovered.
Riders are additionally presupposed to put on helmets, although that advice has gone largely unfollowed as properly — who needs to hold a scooter helmet all through downtown all day for a one-mile scooter journey?
After which, there’s the problem that actually will get the general public riled up: scooter parking. A full 41% of public feedback in regards to the scooter launch handled this matter, in keeping with the report.
The aesthetic nightmare of the scooters strewn throughout sidewalks, creating hazards for pedestrians and cluttering up the in any other case good walkways, is what initially drew my ire, and whereas I’ve gotten used to their presence, downtown Lincoln appears significantly better with out them.
There are designated scooter parking areas, however once more, most scooter riders (57%) had no thought they even existed.
After all, the choice to maintain the scooters will doubtless come right down to cash, and the town of Lincoln does obtain some cash from per-ride charges. Nonetheless, by way of the primary six months, the town has solely acquired $4,975.05 in income, a microscopic quantity for a metropolis that brings in upwards of $200 million every year.
Whereas I’ve been essential of the inflow of scooters in downtown Lincoln, I commend the town for taking an opportunity on a brand new type of public transportation by way of the usage of a closely-monitored pilot program as a substitute of going all-in instantly.
Maybe the scooters will revolutionize transportation for school college students now that totally in-person lessons have returned to campus, however the information I’ve seen up to now doesn’t counsel that.
So when it comes time to find out the way forward for scooters within the Star Metropolis, I encourage the town council to say no them. With the bike share program, metropolis buses and downtown trolley, Lincoln has loads of choices to maintain folks off their toes.
Brian Seashore is a junior journalism main. Attain him at brianbeach@dailynebraskan.com.
