Recent electric scooter news is defined by tragedy.
Most of the electric scooter news Planetizen has collected over the past month has reflected an ongoing process of discovering, reacting, and beginning to regulate electric scooter rentals—a narrative repeated in cities all over the country as companies like Lime and Bird expand operations to new cities.
In recent weeks, however, the human cost of throwing a new mode into a public realm already engineered with massive risks to public health built into the transportation infrastructure has become evident. Whether reports of fatalities and injuries lead to stricter regulations and limits on operations (i.e., more car-oriented status quo) or a sea change in transportation infrastructure is the question of the day, week, month, year, and beyond.
National News
- Hospital ER reports 161 percent spike in visits involving electric scooters (The Washington Post, Sept. 24)
- Bird’s electric scooters are getting more rugged to handle heavy use (The Verge, Sept. 24)
National Commentary
- E-Scooter Deaths Show Urgent Need for Safer Streets (Streetsblog USA, Sept 24)
Local News
- Man Riding Scooter Dies After Being Hit By SUV In Dupont Circle (DCist, Sept. 21)
- Central Ohioans collect, charge electric scooters overnight as side job with flexible hours (The Columbus Dispatch [paywall], Sept. 25)
- Spin aims to be third scooter company to roll into Detroit (Crain's Detroit Business, Sept. 26)
- Another first for scooters in L.A.: a conviction for scooting under the influence (Los Angeles Times, Sept. 26)
- Traffic halted through Dupont Circle in vigil for man killed on scooter (WTOP, Sept. 27)
Local Commentary
- Are scooters a mobility solution? (Crain's Detroit Business, Sept. 23)
- Scooters aren’t to blame for crashes — car-centric streets are (Greater Greater Washington, Sept. 24)
- How to alleviate Denver’s growing conflict between bikes, scooters, pedestrians and cars (The Denver Post, Sept. 26)
- It’s been __ days since a driver killed someone walking, biking, or scooting in DC (Greater Greater Washington, Sept. 26)
- Kids love e-scooters—why aren’t they allowed to ride them? (Curbed LA, Sept. 27)
Scooter Media Brief: Safety, Security, and Business Models Raise Concerns
Recent news has revealed some cracks in the pavement below the speedy wheels of electric scooter share.
Can the Scooter Business Outlast the Coronavirus?
It's the end of the scooter as we know it.
Survey Says: Fear of Cars Drives Scooter Riders to Sidewalks
An email survey of scooter riders in Salt Lake City would seem to make the case for more robust investment in high-quality active transportation infrastructure.
The End of Single-Family Zoning in Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is the latest jurisdiction in the country to effectively end single-family zoning.
Skyline-Defining High-Rise Potentially Coming to Boise
A rendering making the rounds in Boise depicts a 40-story apartment building that would be taller than all other buildings in one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.
The ‘Goldilocks Zone’ for Office Conversion
A formula for the ideal office-to-housing candidate.
Parking Reform Gains Momentum
More cities and states around the country are recognizing the value of eliminating parking requirements.
Pittsburgh Developers Push Back on Zoning Review Fees
An increase in fees for commercial construction projects is raising concerns from local developers who say the industry already faces rising costs to build in the city.
MTA Proposes Pollution Mitigation Spending for the Bronx
Acknowledging the impact the city’s proposed congestion pricing program could have on underserved neighborhoods, the agency plans to spend over $130 million in revenue from the program on air filtration, trees, and other pollution reduction measures.
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
City of Kingsville
Princeton Planning
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
