Final Project JMS 430
Dockless Scooters Effect on Downtown San Diego
By Rebecca Wasik Twitter: @BeccaSDSU
- Electric scooters arrived in San Diego last January
- Electric scooters have become a safety concern
- Many businesses and residents are unhappy
Dec. 10, 2018
On a quiet Sunday morning in Downtown San Diego, a couple was nearly ran over while crossing the street to meet friends for brunch. The culprit was not a car, but rather a young boy on an electric, dockless scooter. He was underage, had no helmet or drivers license, and was travelling at roughly 20 mph down the middle of the street.
Dockless scooters are the latest form of transportation popping up in big cities. Without manners and safe usage by riders, they create issues that affect others in the area.
Electric scooters have become a craze in San Diego, with Downtown San Diego being one of the most affected areas. The City of San Diego has received complaints from both residents and businesses concerning safety and aesthetics.
Scooter- related Injuries and Citations are Increasing:
All six trauma centers in San Diego have recently begun keeping count of the number of injuries related to these dockless scooters according to a San Diego Union Tribune article.
Dr. Vishal Bansal, the medical director of trauma at Scripps Mercy Hospital estimates that there have been 60-80 injuries in the Downtown San Diego area from June to September 2018, ranging from teens to seniors. Most of these injuries were from blunt force head trauma.
At the end of July, a San Diego citizen in a wheelchair was hit by two females on electric scooters in Pacific Beach, according to San Diego Fire and Rescue documents.
“I am not a fan of them,” said Officer Mark McCullough from the San Diego Police Department Traffic Division, “I believe if people would obey the law, we would not have the issues we have today and folks would not be complaining as much.”
In the month of October, the SDPD documented over 50 injuries, both minor and serious, due to crashes in the city of San Diego, according to McCullough.
According to San Diego Police Department Capt. Scott Wahl, electric scooters have become one of the top three complaints by San Diego residents recently.
In documents obtained from the San Diego Police Department, from March to September 2018, there were 2,785 citations given out, regarding electric scooters. Violations included riding with more than one passenger, blocking pedestrians, riding without proper brakes, riding on the highway, and most prominently, riding without a proper helmet.
“My concern is always for public safety,” Wahl said. “We have had numerous serious accidents with those riding scooters. We have also had folks run over by scooter riders. So, we are always focused on keeping the public safe.”
Scooters are Affecting Local Businesses:
In mid-September, prior to a Padres game, Petco Park employees were seen carrying scooters left on the premises across the street to a sidewalk.
Signs reading ‘Dockless bikes and scooters may not be parked on sidewalks surrounding Petco Park. Please seek alternate parking locations’ were posted all around the ballpark. Similar signs were even seen this year at San Diego Comic-Con.
“With the increase in dockless vehicles available over the past year, there have been a greater number of accidents in the area,” San Diego Padres Director of Communications, Craig Hughner says, “We are working with the City of San Diego to make the area around Petco Park as safe as possible for our fans and other pedestrians.”
The Padres are supportive of the various public transportation options that have emerged lately, but they do strongly believe that the proposed eight mph speed limit would help make the area safer.
Safety is not the only issue for downtown businesses. Aesthetics are a huge part of why downtown business owners are upset over dockless scooters.
“The scooters littered all about ruin the aesthetics of city,” said Behrooz Fara, owner of downtown Persian restaurant, Bandar. “They make the city ugly. They should be removed from the city or regulated better.”
“We are so close to Petco Park, which bans parking of the scooters on the sidewalks around the stadium, that many are left on the sidewalk outside our shop,” said Danielle Bouchard, the owner of Crunchtime Popcorn. “They are placed in no order whatsoever, often tipped over making it difficult to navigate the sidewalk and difficult to enter our shop. We are constantly moving them.”
Another concern brought up by Crunchtime Popcorn is that scooter riders are literally riding the scooters into the storefront, posing a danger to staff and customers inside. Customers are practically run over daily when exiting the shop.
Gayleen Nichols has owned Bubbles Boutique on Fifth Avenue for 17 years and has never seen worse conditions downtown than she does today due to the scooters.
“They are a hazard and create eye pollution,” said Nichols. “They are tremendously over-populated and everyday we see a new company dumping more on the streets. Coronado doesn’t allow them and I think we should ban them as well. I jokingly tell my neighbors we should scoop them all up and put them on the mayor’s front lawn and see how he feels about them at that point.”
For the San Diego Bike Shop, aesthetics are the least of owner, Mo Karimi’s worries. Karimi claims his sales went down significantly when the scooters arrived in San Diego at the beginning of this year. His customers are choosing to ride an electric scooter for 15 cents per minute, rather than making an investment in one of his bicycles.
What the Scooter Companies are Saying:
“Each night, Birds are picked up for storage, charging, and any necessary repair,” said Rachel Bankston from Bird Corporate Communications. “This helps keep riders safe and Birds in good condition. It also keeps Birds from cluttering sidewalks.”
According to Lime’s blog, some Lime users report using their scooters to connect to public transit. Also, more than half of riders come from households earning less than $75,000 per year.
Lime has also launched a campaign for rider safety called ‘Respect the Ride.’ According to their blog, the first 25,000 Lime riders who sign their safety pledge will receive a free Lime helmet.
“Through our ‘Respect the Ride’ pledge, we will ask riders to join us in committing to safe riding practices, including abiding by local traffic laws and parking properly.”
According to Razor Share Scooters blog, they introduced an economically beneficial scooter to the San Diego area at the end of October. They claim safety was the main priority in the design, which includes a seat similar to that of a bicycle. This model includes a more efficient brake than competitors and has a maximum speed of 15 mph.
Since their introduction to San Diego about a year ago, dockless scooters have been one of the top complaints to the city from both businesses and residents, according to SDPD records. Dockless scooter companies like Lime and Bird are trying to promote community and rider safety, but many San Diegans have expressed that they do not think they are doing enough.
“It’s just a matter of time before someone is killed. I’m absolutely certain of it.” said the Chief of Medical Staff at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, Michael Sise.
By Rebecca Wasik Follow Rebecca on Twitter: @BeccaSDSU
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