A Study in Salt Lake City, UT, and Tucson, AZ Identified Lessons Learned Regarding E-Scooter Use and Safety in Urban Areas.
Nationwide, United States
Scooting to a New Era in Active Transportation: Examining the Use and Safety of E-Scooters
Summary Information
Recently micro-mobility modes such as electric scooter (e-scooter) systems have been utilized as a new mode in urban areas, generating a great deal of discussion between agencies and stakeholders about how this technology is and should be used by the consumer. It is essential to understand the characteristics of micro-mobility users to determine the potential impacts of e-scooters. This study reviewed a sample of agency documents (e.g., vender permitting requirements, adopted regulations) from 35 local governments (33 cities and 2 counties) from 19 states and the District of Columbia in different sizes ranging from 23,000 people (Oxford, OH) to 2,705,994 (Chicago). Specifically, data between two sites from Salt Lake City, UT (differentiated by infrastructure type but controlled by other potential environmental factors) were compared to examine the effect of transportation infrastructure on the rates of non-optimal behaviors among e-scooter riders. This study also investigated the mode substitution effects of e-scooters and the relationship between preferences for riding e-scooters and crash experiences by monitoring a six-month pilot of e-scooters in the Tucson area through a user survey conducted in the winter of 2019-2020, which got 743 responses after inconsistent responses were eliminated.
- Consider the importance of context-sensitive regulations when examining differences across regulations for e-scooter programs. For example, cities may adopt regulations based on steps taken from other agencies or peer cities but understanding context-sensitive regulations when examining differences across regulations is important for cities considering developing their own regulations.
- Identify “sister cities” that have similar local policy, social, and environmental contexts in different ways. For instance, a same-state sister city can be a useful comparison because cities within the same states have representative legal considerations for similar requirements on the vehicle specification or the types of fees assessed.
- Understand the tradeoff between providing multimodal infrastructure and the perceived safety from inadequate separation from larger and bigger automobile facilities. The examination of Salt Lake City, UT, and Tucson, AZ e-scooter programs found that safer behaviors were likely to occur where infrastructure was "perceived" to be safe, as opposed to where permitted. Perceived risk of facilities that provide inadequate separation from larger automobile facilities or where light rail was present had an impact on the travel behavior decision making process (e.g., riding on the pedestrian sidewalks instead of on the bike lanes).
