Leaders in Los Angeles are considering ramping up the potential penalties for rentable e-scooters and bikes. The hope of these new fines is to deter users from riding and parking their devices in hazardous areas.
Members of the LA City Council met on June 25, 2019, to discuss the feasibility of these proposed fines. If all goes according to plan, councilmembers could vote a list of fines into law in July.
To help formulate new rules governing the use of micro-mobility devices, the City Council asked LAPD and the Department of Transportation to look into the latest safety data concerning dockless devices. In particular, city officials are interested in which areas of LA are most prone to e-scooter and bike violations.
One councilmember from District 1 went so far as to suggest temporarily halting the city’s one-year e-scooter pilot program to deal with safety issues. Mr. Gilbert Cedillo complained that dozens of e-scooters are thrown daily onto pedestrian walkways in his district.
Most councilmembers didn’t go so far as to propose ending the one-year program, but they did express safety concerns. They believe tougher laws on these devices will encourage more people to obey existing safety laws.
Although introducing new fines is a major component of this new strategy, councilmembers are also working on creating educational programs focused on road safety. LA City Council says these public service announcements could reduce the number of injuries related to these devices.
The most recent data from the LA Fire Department suggests there were roughly 80 e-scooter accidents between January 15 and May 25, 2019. Almost 40 people involved in these crashes were taken to emergency rooms for treatment.
There has yet to be a formal reaction from any e-scooter rental company regarding LA’s proposed fines.
To follow the latest developments in these new fines, be sure to visit LA City Council’s official website by following this link.
By the way, Los Angeles is also working with the Swedish-based company Vision Zero to eliminate all traffic-related fatalities by 2025. To track the safety status of LA’s streets, please visit this official website.