Love them or loathe them, electronic scooters were a buzzy conversation point for years in downtown San Diego. With the recent departure of the Bird brand, they’re now all gone.
E-scooters were promised as a “last-mile” solution for commuters. After the rechargeable vehicles took the town by storm pre-COVID, unsafe operators caused consternation among pedestrians. Groups like Safe Walkways balked at riders who sped onto sidewalks and left scooters in heaps and/or scattered in the public right of way.
Local politicians responded to calls for a crackdown on misuse. The number of scooters allowed to operate was thinned. Geofencing was mandated, causing scooters to slow down if they were operated on the sidewalk. Penalties were incurred by users who didn’t leave them in marked corrals after rides.
Usage decreased, as did customer satisfaction. One by one, operators left town. Bird was the last company standing before it flew the coop in early November.
Reportedly, the city was in negotiations to revise local scooter regulations–to the consternation of Safe Walkways.
“We want what we have always wanted,” says Safe Walkways co-chair Janet Rogers. “Keep the scooters off the sidewalks. The city is going backwards. They shouldn’t make concessions. Welcome the companies back when they have the technology to obey both state and federal laws. Why should we allow them to break the law and endanger pedestrians in our city?”
The word left on the Bird app: “San Diego…we’ll see you soon. It’s time for our Birds to take a winter snooze. Thanks for believing in our vision of a world with fewer cars and cleaner air. We’re working hard with the city of San Diego to return alternative transportation options to our loyal riders for next year.”
For now, it’s wait-and-see.
Over the past two-plus years, scooters have been a hot-button issue in The San Diego Sun, as showcased in the “Living In The City” resident profiles section. Here’s some noteworthy pro and con on the subject:
Stay tuned. SDSun
