An e-scooter is a stand-up scooter powered by a small engine in its front or rear wheel.
For a year now, the City of Toronto has been engaging in tough, nuanced conversations with stakeholders as it develops a Micromobility Strategy. A key aspect of their review has been deliberation on the types of devices that should be allowed to operate on city streets. Similar conversations are being held in municipalities across the world, with much of the debate focused on the role of e-scooters. When e-scooters first appeared on the scene in large numbers, some cities chose not to regulate them at all, leading to a ‘Wild West’ era of the electric scooter where anything and everything was permissible. Most cities have since scaled back from that approach, but others, like Toronto, went in the opposite direction, banning e-scooters completely. More recently, we have seen cities explore and implement e-scooter pilot programs, but these, too, have not been without controversy and debate. What is it about e-scooters that seem to have us so intrigued by their potential and concerned about their impacts?
On the one hand, e-scooters can be useful tools in helping cities meet many policy goals related to climate, equity, and health while being popular amongst the general population. The City of Brampton’s e-scooter pilot program saw 200,000 trips taken in its first year, with one-sixth of all city residents trying them out at least once. Portland, Oregon’s pilot found that users were more likely to recommend e-scooters to a friend and more likely to use the program at all than they would if it were a bike. Portland also found that the scooters were being used equally for recreation and for commuting purposes. The pilot in St. Louis, Missouri, found that e-scooters in neighbourhoods that are majority equity-deserving populations led to an increase in the number of trips taken overall, suggesting scooters can fill gaps in mobility networks in underserved areas.
On the other hand, there are major concerns around e-scooters and accessibility, particularly from those who are blind and those with mobility impairments. A study from Norway found that e-scooters parked on sidewalks create major obstacles for both blind folks and those with mobility impairments. These obstacles not only create difficulties navigating public spaces, but they also negatively impact those groups’ perceptions of safety and comfort in public spaces. This, in turn, leads to both groups taking fewer trips and avoiding certain areas in their communities. Where trips are taken, both groups found trip lengths increased due to fear and caution while navigating sidewalks. Similar concerns have been echoed by many accessibility committees and advocates, including those across Ontario and in Toronto. Additionally, some data indicates that injuries to pedestrians due to collisions with e-scooters far exceed the number of injuries resulting from collisions between pedestrians and bikes.
E-scooters are gaining popularity in cities such as Toronto despite being banned.
Data from Neuron Mobility, an electric mobility service provider that runs e-scooter share programs in several countries, indicates that 5% of its riders have a disability themselves. These folks typically have medical conditions that cause fatigue, pain, and discomfort, so e-scooters help them travel longer distances that would be uncomfortable to walk. Of course, Neuron Mobility and other e-mobility service providers like Bird and Lime have a vested economic interest in making e-scooters seem as welcoming and safe as possible.
The conversation around the role of e-scooters in our mobility systems is clearly far from over. The City of Toronto, alongside municipalities worldwide, is at a crossroads, carefully balancing the benefits of e-scooters in achieving climate, equity, and health objectives against concerns related to safety and accessibility. The experiences from Brampton and Portland offer a glimpse into the potential of e-scooters to reshape urban mobility, while challenges highlighted in studies from Norway and feedback from accessibility advocates remind us of the imperative to navigate these changes thoughtfully and inclusively. In our next blog, we’ll suggest some approaches for crafting a balanced framework that regulates e-scooters and seeks to integrate them into the urban fabric without furthering the difficulties faced by those with disabilities in navigating their communities.
By David Simor, TCAT Director