By Peter Stephenson, VRSA Virginia Local Government Specialist
We’re down the home stretch to January 1, 2020, and many of our members are encouraged to decide how they wish to manage shared, personal mobility devices in their localities. This is your opportunity to decide how to regulate popular e-scooters and vendors that wish to operate within public right of ways and spaces here in the Commonwealth by examining the risks and rewards associated with:
- Permitting processes, fees and insurance requirements;
- Allowing use on sidewalks and public parks;
- Restricting or geofencing use in certain areas;
- Putting a cap on the number of rental devices per vendor;
- Setting a maximum speed allowed;
- Defining user age restrictions and helmet requirements;
- Designating parking locations for dock-less devices;
- Sharing of data collected by the device rental companies;
- Ensuring equitable distribution of devices for accessibility;
- Relegating departmental oversight and enforcement;
- Communicating with the public about all the above; and more.
After January 1, the companies providing motorized scooters for hire may operate freely without local regulation unless and until an official ordinance is adopted or some other action is taken jurisdictionally such as the initiation of a formal pilot program.
Below is a new scooter update video set in the City of Richmond. We continue to keep you informed on this hot topic, so please check out our latest video and contact us with any questions.