Safety for e-Scooters a Thorny Problem

Introducing a new mode of transport leads to unforeseen problems, and e-scooters are no exception. Introduced in 2017 e-scooters are now a common site in most urban centres across the US, and much of the rest of the world. The increased numbers have led to increased injuries and complaints by pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists. A common response by cities has been to introduce speed limits for shared e-scooters, often at about 15 mph (24 kph).

IIHS investigated the effects of such speed limits by analysing behaviour between Austin, Texas and Washington, D.C. Both cities have a speed limit requirement. Austin limits shared scooters to 20 mph (32 kmh) and D.C. limits to half that speed at 10 mph (16 kmh). The behaviour IIHS compared was whether the difference in speed impacted rider’s decisions to ride on the sidewalk or not, and what they found is that it makes a significant difference.

In Austin, where the speed is twice as high, riders were 44% less likely to choose a sidewalk when a bike lane is not available. In the business district of D.C., where it is prohibited to ride on the sidewalk, the percentage dropped to 38, which suggests that sidewalk bans are not particularly effective.

In both cities, however, when a bike lane is available most riders choose the bike lane. Adding to the complication twice as many riders in Austin, when they ride on the sidewalk, average 5 mph (8 kmh) faster speeds. Fewer riders chose the sidewalk in Austin, but when they do they tend to ride more quickly.

Personal Comment:

I’d like to pick up on two important implications form the study. First, the most effective way of minimizing potentially dangerous interactions between e-scooters and pedestrians is a bike lane. Regardless of the speed limit, which is vastly different between Austin and D.C., riders chose a bike path over a sidewalk. Second, riders choose based on perceived risk where to ride, but when ridding on sidewalks they underestimate the risk of a collision with pedestrians. As Jessica Cicchino, the main researcher behind the study pointed out, “slowing down the fastest sidewalk riders should help prevent crashes and reduce the severity of injuries when e-scooters hit pedestrians.”

The article also points out that new tech in e-scooters might address some of these issues. For example, highly accurate location awareness can lead to adjustable speed limitation. When a scooter is on a sidewalk it might both recognize that and automatically limit its speed. This would be like a kind of high resolution geofencing, where only the sidewalk, but not the bike path or street next to it, would reduce speed. E-scooter companies have been working at addressing user behaviour for some time, so such solutions should be coming soon if they aren’t already deployed in some locations. Building bike lanes takes more time, of course, but might have a more significant impact on safety. The benefits that micromobility, like e-scooters, can bring are intertwined with wider city planning. As our cities become increasingly connected and ‘intelligent’ shared e-scooters will likely become even more usable and safer.  

The Written by  Joshua Bronson,
RISE Mobility & Systems