The City of Dallas announced in a press release Monday that it will halt its scooter program due to public safety concerns.
All city scooter operations will stop by Wednesday and scooters will be removed from city streets by close of business on Friday. Companies like Lime, Bird, Ojo, Jump and Lyft have offered rental scooters in Dallas.
“We have received complaints about scooters and would like to make substantial changes to the scooter program,” Transportation Director Mike Rogers said in a statement. “The changes will include public safety considerations so that the city may have safe modes of alternative transportation.”
Some of the complaints allege that companies and riders were not adhering to the Dockless Vehicle Ordinance and posed a public safety issue. The ordinance lists a number of guidelinesfor dockless vehicles, bicycles and scooters, such as: minors must wear helmets while riding motorized scooters and scooters must yield to pedestrians on sidewalks and trails.
In a 14-1 vote in March, the City Council approved tighter regulations and higher fees for scooter operators in order to address safety concerns, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Numerous reports across the country have been published about riders who have been seriously injured in e-scooter crashes.
The number of e-scooter injuries surged 222% from 2014 to 2018, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery. The study added up 40,000 broken bones, head injuries, cuts and bruises being treated in emergency rooms across the country.
