San Francisco Board of Supervisors to vote on scooter legislation
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Electric scooters are the latest in tech transportation. Manufacturers are dealing with a few bumps in the road at San Francisco City Hall.
"I think it's important that we take this one seriously," said Stuart Watts of the Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee.
RELATED: Dockless scooters, bikes have bumpy launch in SF, San Jose, cities hustle to regulate
The Pedestrian Safety Advisory committee discussed the scooters, which have popped up by the hundreds on San Francisco streets in the past three weeks.
"These are stationary items that are very dangerous for seniors, families, and especially people who are ADA, like blind individuals," Watts added.
When not in use, riders leave the rental scooters wherever they please, which often obstruct city sidewalks.
Riders also tend to ignore laws, like wearing a helmet and not riding on sidewalks.
"Our legislation has to catch up," said San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin.
RELATED: BART dealing with shared LimeBikes causing hazards at stations
He introduced legislation to require the three scooter companies -- Lime, Spin, and Bird -- to go through a permitting process.
"When good corporate citizens collaborate with the government, we end up with very good public policy," Peskin said. "That hasn't been the case here, where their general motto has been to ask for forgiveness rather than permission."
LimeBike, spokesman Joe Arellano says the company is satisfied with the rollout so far, even though people are getting injured, like one man who hurt his toe when he tripped on a scooter in Hayes Valley.
When asked if LimeBike takes any responsibility for the fact that they're not being used responsibly Arellano replied, "I think we can't police 100 percent of our users but what we can do is continue to do the education."
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will vote on scooter legislation next week.
Click here to read a letter from the SFMTA on dockless bikes and scooters.
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