Miscellaneous | Los Angeles Stuff

City Mobility Plan in Freefall - Santa Monica Mirror

In their latest column, SMa.r.t. takes a critical look at the City of Santa Monica's Shared Mobility Plan for dockless scooters and bikes.

"Alarming injury rates involving electric scooters are emerging from emergency room data gathered by the press about such programs in Santa Monica’s and other cities. “Scooter Use Rising in Major Cities. So are Trips to the Emergency Room.” Washington Post, 9/6/18 – citing trips to SM emergency rooms. “Bird Scooters-So Much Fun, So Damn Dangerous.” LATimes 7/6/18. The City keeps only partial records of scooter injuries, not including local emergency room records.

Unfortunately, there is also evidence that scooters’ growth largely comes from replacing healthier alternatives such as bicycling, walking and taking buses, rather than mostly reduced reliance on cars. Bike Share’s precipitous fall may be due in large part to the rise of scooters. The City’s inadequate record collection and analysis impairs its ability to assess electric scooters or the new pilot program better."