Feel like you're caught in a frenzy of dockless bike- and scooter-share news? Us too. In Dockless Digest, Smart Cities Dive will round up the most important (and sometimes bizarre) news and trends affecting the dockless phenomenon to keep you up-to-date.
Is something happening in your city that didn't make the list this week? Shoot us an email at [email protected].
Bikes, scooters move inside ahead of Hurricane Florence
With Hurricane Florence bearing down on the southeastern United States, dockless companies are planning on how to prepare their vehicles for the impact.
In a tweet Tuesday, Lime said it is “proactively removing our scooters and bikes off the streets,” and also promised to do “whatever we can” to help communities hit. Lime has bikes and scooters in parts of North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC, which could all see some effects.
Meanwhile, both Bird and Skip told Bloomberg Government they will monitor the weather and pull their scooters Thursday night if the storm is expected to hit today. They both promised to redeploy their vehicles quickly.
In the interest of safety, we are proactively removing our scooters and bikes off the streets as well as alerting our juicers and riders in communities that could be impacted by the hurricane. #HurricaneFlorence 1/3
— Lime (@limebike) September 12, 2018
Alabama cities impound scooters
Alabama cities Birmingham and Homewood became the latest to impound Bird’s electric dockless scooters, with the former issuing the company a cease-and-desist letter.
AL.com reported that Bird could be fined as much as $500 per day per scooter for placing them on Birmingham’s sidewalks. In an interview with the outlet, Birmingham City Councilman Darrell O’Quinn said the city wants the company to be like other businesses that have “played by the rules.”
Lime brings scooters to Kansas City, MO
Lime introduced its dockless electric scooters to Kansas City, MO earlier this week, according to KSHB and others.
The company held a ceremonial unlocking and demonstration and will place its scooters in approved areas each day. Bird has operated in the city for the past two months.
“We truly appreciate Lime's approach to partnering with the KCATA on how best to integrate this technology into our growing transportation network,” Robbie Makinen, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority president & CEO, said in a statement, according to KSHB.
San Diego forms panel to discuss mobility options
The growth of dockless bikes and scooters has prompted San Diego to form a new Mobility Board that will explore issues around safety, street and sidewalk designs and compatibility, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.
The city has Bird, Lime and Razor on its streets, and the new board would unify the patchwork of existing committees that focus on bike lanes and parking management.
The new body could be created by the end of the year, in a city that previously wrestled with whether it would allow dockless at all, and was one of ofo’s last homes before it departed the United States.
Knoxville, TN issues 150-day dockless ban
The Knoxville, TN City Council voted unanimously this week to enact a 150-day ban on dockless bikes and scooters, according to WATE.
Over the course of the ban, councilmembers promised to explore “shared mobility” options and come up with solutions. The city is home to Pace dockless bikes.
