MIAMI – The City of Miami is pressing pause on its e-scooter program.
The suspension goes into effect at midnight on Wednesday and it comes as thousands of the motorized scooters are being tossed down around the city.
At 12:01 a.m. all of the vendors in Miami’s scooter pilot program will have to cease operations.
That means all the scooters on all those Miami sidewalks, corners and curbs, more than 3,000 of them, will be picked up, and it’ll be illegal to use them.
News of the ban comes as bummer to some, and a blessing to others.
“They buzz by you, I’m surprised more people haven’t been hurt,” said Rebecca Van Walleghem, a Downtown Miami resident. “I see them spewed all over. They’re just dropped, especially at night.”
In a tweet, Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell said that he’s been an advocate of the program, there must be better policies put in place to ensure safety and proper usage.
I’ve been the biggest believer in the #scooter program as effective micro mobility. However, this week, I spoke w the City Manager to suspend the program until proper policies are in place to stop underage riding and sidewalk clutter. Effective Dec 30 12:01am. @Brickell_Living
— Ken Russell Miami (@kenrussellmiami) December 28, 2020
You’re supposed to be 18 years old to ride, and only one person may ride at a time.
Users can legally scoot around on the street, preferably the bike lanes, and slowly on the sidewalks.
They’re supposed to be parked without creating a safety hazard. Vendors can face fines for violations.
Lyft, one of the biggest in the scooter game, told Local 10′s Layron Livingston that more than 20 workers do regular sweeps in popular areas, like Brickell and Bayside, correcting badly parked scooters.
They only drop six scooters at a time to avoid over concentration.
Lyft’s Miami General Manager told Local 10 “Safety always comes first and we continue to take multiple actions to support riders, our team members, and our city partners.”
A mandatory meeting of all vendors and staff is scheduled for Jan. 4 and new regulations will likely be discussed and issued before the suspension ends.