The Long Beach City Council is set to consider the pilot program on June 18 that will reintroduce the rental scooters after complaints that abandoned scooters on the path caused hazards and speeding scooters were dangerous in 2018. Medina Mekahlo reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.
A nearly six-year ban could be lifted for rental e-scooters on a 3.5-mile stretch of beach bike path in Long Beach.
The city council is set to consider the pilot program on June 18 that will reintroduce the rental scooters after complaints that abandoned scooters on the path caused hazards and speeding scooters were dangerous in 2018.
Vice Mayor Cindy Allen, who represents District 2, said improved technology that will limit scooters to “slow zones” along the path and not allow riders to use the pedestrian walking path could make the reintroduction a better experience for all that use the trails.
The program would also require Bird, Lime, and VeoRide, the three scooter companies licensed in Long Beach, to ensure scooters are being parked in appropriate areas and not abandoned on the path.
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Jose Araujo, a bicyclist, worries that if the new pilot program is approved, there will be many abandoned scooters and dangerous scooter riders not following the rules.
“There is not enough space,” said Araujo. “Wearing your helmets, hand signaling and looking in front of you, all those things matter and there is a lot of people that ride scooters that don’t think that matters.”
City Councilwoman Kristina Duggan, who represents District 3 which features a portion of the bike path, is opposed to the pilot program. Duggan said nearly 600 people in her district responded to a questionnaire and most oppose the idea of e-scooters being allowed on the beach paths.
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The council will vote on the 12-month pilot program next week. If it’s approved, it’s unclear when it will start. The public works director will have the authority to stop it if things get out of hand again.
