Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Scooter companies and bicycle riders are breathing a sigh of relief today now that the Baltimore City Council has taken steps to set rules for dockless scooters and bicycles on city streets and removed tough penalties for riders who violate those rules.
“It will allow millennials to use scooters as transportation without having to worry about a hefty fine, so I think this a good step in creating new transportation methods,” said Baltimore resident Dani Gallagher.
The city Department of Transportation earlier had proposed a $1,000 fine, and jail time penalties for riders who speed on a scooter or park unlawfully. However, a $20 fine now is assessed on people who violate the rules.
Scooter company officials are excited about the action too.
Spin official Dan Winston said 80 San Francisco-based dockless scooters recently were launched in Baltimore as a method of transportation. The company’s scooters are available at Cafe Jovial, 1100 Wico Mico in Washington Village, and at the Dovecote Cafe in Reservoir Hill. To locate and use the scooters, he said that customers must download a Spin application and agree to pay $1 to unlock a scooter plus 15 cents for every minute of use.
“Baltimore in many ways is an ideal match for dockless scooters because it is a city with vibrant, downtown core, traditional bike share, great neighborhoods and a strong transit network for people in the city to connect with,” said Winston, Spin’s general manager for the Baltimore, Washington, and Northern Virginia region.
In March 2017, Spin debuted the first station mobility system in the United States and worked with the City of Seattle to write the first policy framework to set regulations for dockless scooters. Officials said the policy set rules for dockless scooter companies on how many scooters could be distributed, the expense of having scooters in the city, safety requirements, parking rules, and protecting the city financially.
The City Council on Monday passed legislation that would require Spin and any other companies that receive permits to operate fleets in the city to pay a 10-cent excise tax for each scooter or bicycle ride. The scooters have been allowed in Baltimore under a pilot program. Permanent rules would eventually replace the pilot if adopted.
Under the bill, the permanent rules would require the companies to provide “equitable access to dockless vehicles for hire throughout the city and in underserved areas.” Companies would be required to submit their names, provide insurance, a performance bond to cover any damage to city property and other key documentation. The companies would face $1,000 for several violations.
“The bill, which was passed through the second reader, defines legal riding and parking rules for dockless scooters and bikes,” said Kathy Dominick, public relations officer for the Department of Transportation.
DOT and the Law Department wrote these rules for the safety of dockless users and all other roadway users,” Dominick added. “These laws will allow the city and its dockless vendors to do more education about safe riding.”
In fact, Dominick said “DOT believes the service is a benefit to the public in that it improves equity of access and promotes sustainable and active transportation usage by the public.”
“Our primarily focus is to strengthen communities by giving people a new form of transportation to get through the city whether it is beating traffic, going to school, or even the bars,” Winston said.
Last July, Spin officials said that Seattle’s policy framework and regulations changed and Spin, Lime, Ofo, operating under the policy, had to pay fees totaling $50 for each new bike on the street, $30 for administration, and, in order to operate, an annual permit fee of $250,000. Spin wanted to focus on expanding their scooters to various markets around the country that had reasonable policies., said officials.
Spin has since expanded to become the exclusive micromobility partner on campuses like University of California, San Diego, Oklahoma State University, New Mexico State University, and the University of Kentucky. Spin is also one of the few permitted scooters in cities like Denver, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.
Winston said that Spin focuses on having relationships with businesses and residents in the community, setting them apart from other similar companies. He said they take in feedback from the community or government officials to adjust their scooters to expectations. Unlike other dockless scooter companies, Spin has a full -time staff available to the public, he said.
“We wanted to launch in a thoughtful matter and learn through the community, so the goal is to reach numerous neighborhoods in Baltimore to be an option for anybody to use,” said Winston. “To be a good transportation service it is important to be embedded with the community.”