INDIANAPOLIS -- A proposed ordinance to regulate “shared mobility devices” – notably, the dozens of motorized scooters which have recently appeared in Indianapolis – was approved for consideration by the full City-County Council on Thursday by the members of the Public Works Committee.
Noting that the majority of them had not even had time to read the proposed ordinance, the committee members said they nevertheless felt they had to act because two motorized scooter operators, Bird and Lime, were already active in the city.
Councilor Monroe Gray pointing out that none of the councilors have had a chance to read the ordinance. Councilor Kreider said he got his copy at 2:30 p.m. today.
— Jordan Fischer (@Jordan_RTV6) June 28, 2018
The city of Indianapolis sent Bird a letter earlier this month asking the company to temporarily cease operations. Bird scooters have remained active, however, prompting Lime to drop its own scooters into the market, according to Lime’s regional general manager Jason Wilde.
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Wilde said initial use of the scooters during their first five days in Indianapolis greatly exceeded his expectations. According to numbers released by Lime prior to Thursday’s hearing, nearly 3,700 people had used one of the company’s scooters since June 23.
.@limebike released this image of usage patterns for its scooters over their first 5 days in Indy. Company says nearly 3,700 people have taken rides so far. pic.twitter.com/9wMreEF0mk
— Jordan Fischer (@Jordan_RTV6) June 29, 2018
City ordinances currently prohibit the motorized scooters from operating at all, but the city has chosen not to enforce those ordinances while it scrambled to deal with Bird’s sudden appearance. According to both Wilde and Council Vice President Zach Adamson, Lime and the city had been in discussions over a possible change to the ordinance for months before Bird began operating in the market.
The Indianapolis Department of Business & Neighborhood Services initially drafted a proposed ordinance that would have banned the motorized scooters outright. On Thursday, however, the Public Works Committee reviewed a scaled-back proposal to license and regulate scooter operators.
Council President @VoteVop says he's worried that it sets a bad precedent for the city to do nothing as the scooter companies are operating after the city asked them not to to allow time for regulation.
— Jordan Fischer (@Jordan_RTV6) June 28, 2018
Councilor Janice McHenry: "These two companies came in and broke the law, and they continue to break the law... These two companies seem to be bullying our city."
— Jordan Fischer (@Jordan_RTV6) June 28, 2018
Among other requirements, the proposed ordinance would charge businesses like Bird and Lime a $15,000 yearly license fee and $1 per scooter – to be used to improve existing transportation infrastructure – as well as limit the number of devices an operator could maintain in the city.
Councilors also expressed a desire for more stringent requirements on the devices, among them requiring riders to pass a basic knowledge test about traffic laws before riding, requiring riders to send a photo of the properly parked scooter following their trip to the company and age and geographic limits.
The committee voted to remove language from the proposal that would have affected non-motorized scooters. City officials also said the ordinance would not apply to the Segways which currently operate in White River Park, as they don’t dock in the public right-of-way.
BNS: "These devices are currently operating in Indianapolis now against current code." Says they need framework to deal with scooter businesses immediately, basically.
— Jordan Fischer (@Jordan_RTV6) June 28, 2018
Following two hours of questions from council members and public comment, the committee voted to send the proposal forward. Councilor Janice McHenry was the lone "nay" vote.
The ordinance will now go before the full City-County Council during its July 16 meeting. If approved, the proposal could potentially create a period of several weeks between adoption and the issuance of licenses during which the scooters would not be allowed to operate in the city.
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