Bill to Create New Rules and Regulations for Electric Scooters and Bikes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2019
Communications Director: Kelly Whittier
Bill to Create New Rules and Regulations for Electric Scooters and Bikes
Electric Mobility Device Amendment Act would limit operational hours, clarify acceptable parking locations, and expand operator responsibilities
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, June 25th, Councilmember Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) along with Councilmembers Charles Allen, Brianne Nadeau, and Jack Evans introduced the “Electric Mobility Device Amendment Act of 2019.” The legislation will establish new rules and requirements for electric scooter and bike operators in the District, as well as the users of these devices.
Main components of the bill include:
- Requiring operators to maintain a 24-hour toll-free phone number for members of the public to report illegally parked scooters;
- Mandating that operators move illegally parked scooters within three hours of receiving a complaint;
- Banning scooter use between the hours of 10:00pm and 4:00am;
- Requiring operators to pay a bond to the District that will be used to pay for any damage their devices cause to public property;
- Requiring operators to maintain at least 10% of its fleet in each Ward by 6:00 am;
- Increasing the scooter speed limit to 15 miles per hour on the street or bike line and reducing the speed limit to 6 miles per hour while operating on the sidewalk;
- Setting the electric bicycle speed limit to 20 miles per hour on the street;
- Requiring operators to release fleet, trip, and complaint data to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT);
- Giving the DDDOT Director the ability to suspend permits of operators who are not abiding by the law and provide the agency with the authority to fine operators who have been the subject of a disproportionate amount of complaints;
- Requiring DDOT to construct signage and/or pavement markings to identify the Central Business District; and
- Establishes a parking pilot to create electric scooter exclusive parking locations.
Councilmember Cheh’s statement on the legislation is below.
“Electric scooters and battery-assisted bicycles produce multiple benefits for the District, including reducing congestion, reducing our carbon footprint, and giving visitors to the District cheap but effective means to make their way around town.
However, with these benefits have come significant costs. We have established bike culture in the District, but, because this technology is relatively new, we don’t have a safe electric scooter culture—resulting in many users neglecting to follow important safety rules. Many scooter users weave in and out of pedestrians on the sidewalk at high speeds, do not follow important safety rules, ride while inebriated, and routinely discard scooters that block pedestrian walkways, private driveways, and handicap accessible ramps.
This legislation is a broad and comprehensive approach to establishing common sense electric scooter and electric bike rules that will help keep our streets and sidewalks safe while also enabling these services to continue to operate in the District.”
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