Modesto council makes a decision on electric scooter rentals. What were the reasons?
A majority of the City Council voted Tuesday against allowing electric scooter rentals in Modesto, citing concerns over liability, traffic accidents and the city not having enough police officers to ensure the scooters are used safely.
The council vote was 4-2 against the pilot program. Councilmen Chris Ricci and Tony Madrigal voted in favor of the city entering into an agreement with Bird Rides, a Santa Monica-based company that provides electric bicycles and scooters.
Bird sells the bikes and scooters to consumers but also operates rental programs in about 400 communities throughout the world, according to a company official.
Mayor Sue Zwahlen and council members David Wright, Rosa Escutia-Braaton and Jenny Kenoyer voted against the pilot program.
Their concerns included Modesto not having enough bike lanes (the scooters are not supposed to be ridden on sidewalks), the city being ranked worst for traffic crashes, and an insufficient number of police traffic officers to deal with the city’s current traffic woes.
The scooter riders are supposed to use bike lanes on streets where the speed limit is greater than 25 mph, according to a city report that cites the California Vehicle Code.
Riders also are supposed to have a driver’s license or permit and not carry passengers. Modesto would have limited rentals to riders 18 and older.
A story in The Bee on Sunday reported the California Office of Traffic Safety ranked Modesto worst for traffic crashes among its peer cities in 2019, which is the latest year for which OTS has statistics. Modesto was ranked among 59 California cities with 100,000 to 250,000 residents. Modesto’s population is about 220,000 residents.
The OTS rankings looked at about a dozen types of collisions, including drivers hitting pedestrians or bicyclists, fatal crashes, DUI crashes, hit-and-run and speed-related incidents. The rankings consider a variety of factors, including population, the number of accidents and miles driven.
Not right time for city
Modesto was ranked second worst in 2018 and worst in 2017, which are the two other years on the OTS website.
Escutia-Braaton said she loved bringing more transportation and recreation options to Modesto, but the city was not yet ready for this opportunity. “... Electric scooters are really a good idea for the right city at the right time,” she said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that is Modesto.”
Ricci told his fellow council members that he had the “pleasure of riding electric scooters all over the country,” and while some cities are positive, optimistic and focus on the upside of issues, this city focuses on liability and the downside. He said he found that “really disappointing.”
Modesto had been considering a 12-month pilot program with Bird, and Madrigal tried and failed to get the council to approve a three-month trial run. Bird was expected to start the scooter rentals in downtown and surrounding area.
“I really would like to urge my colleagues who have concerns to reconsider and give this a try,” Madrigal said.
A Bird company official said other cities have expressed the same concerns as Modesto and found they were not warranted. The proposed agreement between Bird and Modesto stated it could be canceled with a week’s notice by either party.
Zwahlen said she is very optimistic about Modesto and its future, but said she envisions the future as a well-planned, cohesive whole. “I look at the future in terms of concepts, rather than specifics,” she said.
She said while there are important projects coming to downtown, including a new courthouse and commuter train service to San Jose and the potential for a new stadium, downtown does not have bike lanes. Yet, she said, the city has an abundance of bike trails, including in the Tuolumne River Regional Park.
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 7:56 AM.
