May 17, 2023
By Jude McElroy
Editor
Electric scooters have become a source of significant controversy. What was once considered a convenient, accessible and efficient method of transportation is under scrutiny for a myriad of safety concerns ranging from people using public scooters irresponsibly to fires caused by defective batteries.
The problem has gotten so bad that cities like Paris, France have banned public e-scooters, and New York City has cracked down significantly on restrictions for e-scooters, and rightfully so. While convenient, e-scooters pose serious dangers that cannot be ignored, at least for the time being.
The Parisian government attributed the ban to the fact that shared e-scooters cause an increase in accidents, are hard to sustain economically and do not make enough of an environmental impact to justify the risks. Granted this vote was pretty skewed, with only 7.5% of Paris’s registered voters weighing in. There were few open voting stations and no option to vote electronically, which meant the vote was biased toward the city’s older population.
Other European cities are also taking action. The government in London, England banned private-owned e-scooters in 2021 because of safety concerns, and in Barcelona, Spain, e-scooters are now on a six-month-long ban to give the government time to figure out how to handle the problem.
In 2022 alone, e-scooters caused 216 fires, 147 injuries and six deaths in New York City.
The ban on public scooters is not entirely justified, as there are plenty of positives. E-scooters, like other electric-powered vehicles, produce little emissions, which makes them a solid alternative to cars. Riding an e-scooter is also much faster than walking, but there are plenty of valid safety concerns regarding e-scooters, and this is especially true in crowded urban areas like New York City.
In 2022 alone, e-scooters caused 216 fires, 147 injuries and six deaths in New York City. It is not worth risking people’s lives when there are alternative methods of transportation. However, New York City can reach a middle ground.
The city’s government is, rightfully, trying to find a way to address the issues. It is on the right path, putting in place restrictions on what scooters can be used and identifying lithium-ion batteries that are safe compared to those manufactured at lower costs and quality.
New York City has made it so that only bikes certified by Underwriter Laboratories, one of the oldest safety certification authorities in operation, are legal to ride on the city streets, and those vehicles must stay under 15 mph.
In the case of e-scooters, new technology has put safety in jeopardy, but New York City’s regulations can serve as a model and raise awareness on a federal level to crack down on low-quality lithium-ion batteries.
E-scooters are a good method of transportation and provide a great alternative to driving and walking. Now, it’s just a matter of finding out how to best implement them for city streets while keeping safety a top priority.
