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E-scooters win approval from St. Pete City Council – with strict stipulations

Megan Holmes

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Photo by Vince Jacob on Unsplash

Electric scooters are (finally) coming to St. Petersburg. A “micromobility” ordinance that includes the regulation of electric scooters and scooter share operators was approved by a 5-2 vote of St. Petersburg City Council with Charlie Gerdes and Steve Kornell opposed. According to City staff, a draft request for proposals is ready and will soon be posted to operators. Staff expects scooters could hit the streets between late winter and early spring of 2020. 

But use of the scooters will not be without limitations. According to city staff, the request for proposal will outline a one-year pilot program with stipulations that include operating hours between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. and the prohibition of scooters in many locations throughout the city. To combat issues of sidewalk clutter and obstruction, the ordinance also requires that riders park the scooter in a designated docking or corral area, similar to those used by Suncoast Bike Share. According to city staff, improper parking could lead to user fines imposed through scooter share company apps.

Use of the scooters on sidewalks or walkways in downtown, along Central Avenue and in any park is prohibited by the ordinance. They may only to be used in bike lanes or on streets with posted speed limits of 30 mph or below. The scooters will also not be allowed on the Pinellas Trail west of 34th street (due to Pinellas County regulations), or on the North Bay Trail from Demen’s Landing to Coffee Pot Park. As for the new Pier, they will only be allowed in vehicular roadways, not sidewalks or trails.

Location regulations are not unique to St. Petersburg. Tampa does not allow e-scooters on Bayshore Boulevard or the Tampa Riverwalk. Thanks to geolocation technology, the city can create boundaries that power down the scooter, or only allow it to operate at a speed of 3 mph in prohibited areas.

Council member Darden Rice expressed reservations over requiring users to corral scooters at the end of each trip, as she sees scooters as a possible “first mile, last mile” solution to the city’s limited public transportation infrastructure. Council member Gina Driscoll defended the corrals, explaining that they will combat clutter and be deployed every block in the downtown core and one every 1/8 mile (or every other block) in service areas outside of the downtown core.

Speaking in opposition, Gerdes worried about scooter safety, sharing a personal anecdote about two family members who had crashed scooters in cities that have already deployed a share program.  

Check back with the St. Pete Catalyst for more news about electric scooters and their future launch in St. Petersburg.

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3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Avatar

    Mike Dailey

    October 19, 2019at12:50 pm

    I think they are trying to head off the inevitable backlash of naysayers who think all trips should be made in a car.

  2. Avatar

    Tom Bishoo

    October 19, 2019at1:55 am

    3 words:

    “For The People”

  3. Avatar

    Rose Smith-Hayes

    October 18, 2019at4:33 pm

    What is the point of allowing Scooters with All those limitations, even though I understand the limitations????

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