Logansport City Council handed a hotly debated ordinance Monday to put the groundwork for an electric scooter program.
Despite preliminary hesitation from some councilmembers, the ordinance handed its second studying 5-1. City Council President Dave Morris voted in opposition to the ordinance, and councilmember Amy Densborn was absent from the assembly and subsequently unable to vote.
“I voted against this before, but I’m changing my opinion on it due to the fact that, if we shoot down everything we’re trying to progress in our city, I don’t think that’s a good thing,” councilmember Larry Hood stated.
The ordinance creates a security framework for electric scooter packages inside Logansport metropolis limits and specifies how they’ll function. It defines electric scooters as units with handlebars weighing lower than 150 kilos and powered by an electric motor and/or human energy.
The ordinance additionally states electric scooters should have the ability to attain speeds between 15 and 20 miles per hour on paved roads however can not exceed 20 miles per hour. Electric scooters needs to be pushed on the fitting facet of the highway and in bike lanes when attainable, however should give bicyclists the fitting of means.
The ordinance additionally units working hours from 4 a.m. to midnight and requires electric scooter riders to be not less than 18 years outdated. Anyone who violates the ordinance will face related fines as bicyclists.
Any firm wishing to convey electric scooters to Logansport should get a license from town, and the ordinance locations a three-license restrict on electric scooter packages inside Logansport.
There is a stipulation within the ordinance that permits Logansport to revoke an organization’s license for “woefully negligent practices” if severe issues aren’t addressed after 30-day discover from town.
So far, councilmembers have spoken to representatives from electric scooter firm Bird Rides.
Proponents of the ordinance famous it doesn’t make any kind of settlement with particular person corporations. Instead, it supplies rules for any electric scooter program throughout the metropolis, which is an space the council has not beforehand addressed.
Logansport Parks Administrator Janet Fawley mentioned her reservations about electric scooters on the ordinance’s first studying in January. She expressed concern that folks would trip the scooters by means of trails and parks the place autos aren’t allowed.
After talking to Bird Rides senior account government Garrett Gronowski, Fawley stated she nonetheless had some hesitation however felt extra educated in regards to the program.
“I think, one way or another, this is coming,” Fawley stated. “There are already e-bikes out there. Whether we want them or not, they’re there. And scooters, whether they are through the Bird system or (people) go buy them themselves, they’re going to have them. We don’t have any enforcement capability at this point. … It’s going to be a hard thing to enforce for us.”
While nearly all of the council supported the ordinance, Morris stated he needed to spend extra time trying over the ordinance and researching electric scooter packages earlier than figuring out metropolis pointers.
“I just don’t think it’s ready to move forward,” he stated.
Morris requested Gronowski, who attended town council assembly remotely, to clarify who was liable within the case of a lawsuit, how the scooters would work on highways that undergo city and the way precisely they may very well be saved out of areas that don’t permit scooters.
Gronowski stated Bird Rides will likely be answerable for lawsuits and would cowl town within the occasion somebody tried to sue them. The exception can be if an accident was attributable to metropolis negligence. For instance, if somebody hit a pothole town didn’t fill, the authorized obligations might fall on Logansport.
The ordinance additionally supplies an indemnification clause that states licensed electric scooter corporations will shield and defend town within the occasion of a lawsuit. Morris requested Logansport City Attorney Kelly Leeman if that will likely be sufficient safety.
Leeman stated lawsuits are a particular risk. Even although town wouldn’t personal or service the scooters, regulating them might trigger town to face litigation from residents.
“I really don’t like these things. I think they’re dangerous,” Leeman stated. “We’re going to be sued. When somebody sues (Bird Rides), we’ll be drug in on it as standard operating practice because we’re the ones who regulate them, control them and look over them. That opens up issues.”
Gronowski assured the council that Bird Rides has an excellent authorized workforce. The firm additionally requires riders to signal consent kinds that debate security protocols and waive the corporate and native authorities of legal responsibility for accidents.
As for Morris’ query about driving the scooters on highways, Gronowski clarified that each scooter is tracked, and scooters aren’t allowed on any highway the place the pace restrict is larger than 45 miles per hour. That monitoring functionality additionally permits cities to find out areas the place scooters can not drive.
Bird Rides electric scooters may be restricted in three other ways primarily based on location: They may be slowed to a selected pace, they’ll incur penalties or additional expenses to riders who park in unfit areas, or they’ll cease altogether if somebody enters a “no-ride zone.”
Gronowski stated Logansport can determine which areas, like particular parks and trails, won’t permit scooters. The scooters will cease functioning in these locations, so folks will likely be bodily unable to drive scooters there.
Councilmember Jake LeDonne stated the council will work with the Logansport Planning Department to find out which areas needs to be off limits.
Bird Rides scooters are additionally seasonal and may be disabled earlier than dangerous climate. Gronowski stated the scooters “hibernate” through the winter, and a typical season runs from April to October or November, relying on the yr.
The scooters won’t price town any cash, however Gronowski stated they might convey cash to native companies. Bird Rides’ analysis confirmed that about 65% of riders have a set vacation spot, and final yr the corporate calculated over $100,000 in enterprise income as a result of folks touring on Bird Rides scooters.
Before electric scooters seem in Logansport streets, nevertheless, town should first signal a contract with the corporate. The council is anticipating to have a most of 75 scooters in Logansport as soon as all different phrases are agreed upon.
“I know there are concerns, but with anything new there are always concerns or the chance that it won’t work,” councilmember Jonathan Nelms stated. “With the ability to pull out of it, in the long run, isn’t it worth trying? For the potential benefits, I think it is.”