Austin cutting down on number of scooters citywide

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin's Transportation and Public Works Department is working to limit the number of electric scooters in operation amid safety concerns and improper storing on city sidewalks.

Richard Mendoza, director of TPWD, told the Austin Mobility Committee Thursday the city is working toward several changes in scooter use in Austin. Those changes include:

• Putting a moratorium on the number of new e-scooter vendor licenses the City of Austin approves (Austin currently works with two vendors, after Link ceased operations)
• Cap number of e-scooters citywide from 8,700 currently to a proposed 6,7000 e-scooters in rotation (with exceptions for large-scale events like the South by Southwest Conference & Festivals and the Austin City Limits Music Festival)
• Limit downtown e-scooters permitted from 4,500 to 2,250 (with exceptions for things like SXSW and ACL)
• Discontinue the use of dockless e-bikes, which pose ADA compliancy issues and clutter city sidewalks and streetscapes

Mendoza also acknowledged some serious head injury concerns related to e-scooter crashes. He noted the combination of e-scooter use in the downtown core and entertainment districts can lead to serious safety issues for users. He also discussed a possible speed reduction from 15 miles per hour to 10 miles per hour between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily to better manage how scooters interact with vehicular traffic.

Mendoza said TPWD is pursuing an April implementation of the outlined changes.