RIDING REQUIREMENTS In order to improve rider safety and to address issues related to the previous rollout of its electric scooter program, the city of Dallas is working with companies to regulate certain aspects of the ride.
program by emailing the Dallas Department of Transportation at ddotplanning@dallas.gov. Managing riders Some of the electric scooters, depending on the vendor, will have new programming to be able to detect a rider’s response time to traf- fic changes or turns, Scott said. That technology will be deployed espe- cially during times when people may be drinking alcohol. If a rider appears to be inebriated in some way through slow response times, they would not be allowed to continue operating that scooter, Scott said. All new users will be required to view training materials on how to operate electric scooters when they register to use a vehicle through the vendor’s app. Kelly Pierce, Dallas operations coor- dinator for Lime, said Lime riders will be required to take a basic knowledge test once out of every five times they open the company’s app to ensure that they know the rules. Scott added that each scooter vendor will be required to educate their users on how to properly use the scooters, how to properly park them and what rules they will be regu- lated by. “We find that most riders actually want to do the right thing, so it’s sort of [a matter of] providing them the knowledge that they need to be able to do so,” said Jacob Tugendrajch, com- munications lead for Lime. One of the challenges facing not just Dallas but any city with an electric scooter program is simply how young the industry is, said Perkins, the Super- pedestrian representative. Shared electric scooter programs were not available before 2018, and many peo- ple—both riders and city officials—are not familiar with how to best use them, she said. “Cities are all still learning what works for them, and riders are brand
HOW TO USE AN ELECTRIC SCOOTER IN DALLAS
As the city of Dallas brings electric scooters back to the streets, officials are requiring companies to implement extra steps that riders must complete before and after their ride.
Scooters will be limited to 20 mph across most of the city.
Scooters must be equipped with lights visible from at least 500 feet.
Scan the QR code on the scooter and follow instructions in the vendor’s app.
In the app, watch a tutorial on how to use the scooter.
Scooters can be shut off if entering a no-ride zone.
Scooters will be equipped with technology to detect inebriated riders.
Ride in the road, not on the sidewalk.
Avoid restricted no-ride zones.
Scooters must be upright in a parking corral or on the sidewalk facing the street.
Park your scooter upright in a parking corral or on the sidewalk facing the street.
Take a photo of the parked upright scooter in the vendor app.
For questions or voice concerns about the city’s program, residents can contact ddotplanning@dallas.gov.
SOURCE: CITY OF DALLAS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Ridley, the District 14 council mem- ber, said the electric scooters will serve as a resource for people who need a mobility option for trips that are a mile or less. He added that having a micro- mobility option like electric scooters may also alleviate the pressure of lim- ited parking spaces in dense areas of the city like downtown and Uptown. “I would just ask [the community] to be patient with the rollout and see if we have adequately addressed their concerns from the initial rollout, and if they are still having problems, to alert the city,” Ridley said. “We at the city are open to feedback from our residents.”
to equity opportunity zones to equal- ize distribution and usage across the city. The equity opportunity zones near Lake Highlands and Lakewood will be particularly focused in Vickery Meadow. “You have a choice to walk or bike or scooter to work or the grocery store or the library or the bank—it just pro- vides more choice and freedom for res- idents,” Scott said. Of the Superpedestrian fleet, Per- kins said the company is deploying 400 standard standing electric scoot- ers and 100 seated electric scooters to Dallas. She said the seated scooters are suited to longer trips that may be more common in a geographically large city like Dallas and may better serve low-income communities without other transportation options.
new all the time, too,” Perkins said. “One of the challenges there is that we’ve got a whole bunch of novices and amateurs out there who are all learning the city rules while learning how to ride the vehicle itself.” Those who do not comply with all electric scooter regulations may face a fine of up to $200 from the city of Dal- las, Scott said. The costs of rides will depend on the vendor and time of day. Improving micromobility Dallas also plans to implement “equity opportunity” zones, which will be located in low-income areas of Dallas near other transportation options like Dallas Area Rapid Transit stations. Each scooter vendor will be required to deploy 15% of their fleet
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
Call 972-708-1036 to schedule a 15-minute free case evaluation.
HOLY WEEK
at Lakewood United Methodist Church Palm Sunday Worship at 10:30 a.m. Stay for Easter Egg hunt, potluck lunch, and a visit from the Easter Bunny! Good Friday Worship at 7:00 p.m. Easter Sunday Worship at 10:30 a.m.
100 N Central Expy, Suite 416 Richardson, TX 75080 972-708-1036 Tran Fawcett Law, PLLC
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LAKE HIGHLANDS - LAKEWOOD EDITION • MARCH 2023
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