After it was tested in 2018, an electric scooter pilot program was launched earlier this year in Portland, Oregon:
The E-Scooter Pilot Program starts April 26 and lasts until April 26, 2020. It follows a 120-day pilot program in 2018 that showed e-scooters have the potential to help reduce congestion and pollution. But the 2018 pilot also raised concerns about people riding e-scooter on sidewalks, in violation of state traffic laws, creating conflict with people walking and people with disabilities.
Following the pilot, PBOT will evaluate the program and engage the public to develop recommendations for permanent rules for shared e-scooter use for the City Council to consider.
The Seattle Times reports that “the five companies participating in Portland’s electric scooter trial program have 1,975 scooters on the streets.” Well, minus a few dozen perhaps:
57 electric scooters, bikes pulled from Portland's Willamette River https://t.co/TzDzQRPTqr pic.twitter.com/M9tdIUYLmQ
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) June 29, 2019
City officials might want to revisit the “intended to reduce pollution” part:
MCSO’s Dive Team used their training days to go ? hunting.
Here is the haul: 57 scooters/bikes in 2 days!
The whole team did a great job removing these from our waterways! pic.twitter.com/CRDw3rj9YR
— Multnomah Co Sheriff (@MultCoSO) June 26, 2019
The team had to quit early because they needed a bigger boat! pic.twitter.com/hyeLP72PlA
— Multnomah Co Sheriff (@MultCoSO) June 26, 2019
But you’ll notice there’s not a single plastic straw in any of the pictures.
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