[B]URLINGTON — Burlington could see an influx of e-bikes and e-scooters this summer as the city considers expanding a bike share program started last year and adding the scooters.
E-scooters popped up in cities across the country last summer, to a mixed reaction. Close to 200 bikes and 200 scooters could be coming to the city this summer if the plans move forward.
Burlington held a public forum Tuesday night to get feedback from residents on the plans. Burlington would be partnering with the cities of South Burlington and Winooski in the program.
The city is currently negotiating with bike-sharing company Gotcha Bike, which launched its Greenride bike share in Chittenden County in April 2018.
The University of Vermont, Champlain College, the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission and the Chittenden Area Transportation Management Association are also partners in the project.
Mayor Miro Weinberger said the bikes and scooters can help the city and state get closer to reaching their climate goals by replacing vehicle trips with scooter and bike trips.
“When you do that, you not only make an impact on emissions, you also make an impact on congestion and parking load,” he said. “There’s a lot of potential upside; we’re looking forward to the conversation tonight and in the weeks to come to find a Burlington way to make this innovation ready.”
Weinberger acknowledged that the scooters were not popular everywhere they were rolled out last summer, but is optimistic that the program can be successful with the proper planning.
“We are aware there has been a pretty dramatic difference of experiences in cities across the country depending on how this rollout is done, and the way in which it is planned and communicated,” he said.
Proponents argue that the scooters are a convenient, energy friendly mode of transportation. But opponents say the scooters present safety concerns for riders and pedestrians and clutter city sidewalks, especially in cities that allow “dockless” scooters, which can be left anywhere.
In Burlington, people would be required to return the scooters to designated areas or pay a fine.
Greenride currently has 105 bikes in Winooski, Burlington and South Burlington, and 17 hubs for those bikes to be parked at. The bikes have traveled 21,000 miles in 9,000 trips since its launch.
The scooters would have a maximum speed of 15 m.p.h., while the bike motor would stop if the bike goes over 20 m.p.h.
Residents will have another opportunity for comment at a meeting of the Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee of the City Council next Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at 645 Pine St.
The city is planning to incorporate community feedback into its negotiations with Gotcha Bike. It will also need to amend some local ordinances before a launch as early as Memorial Day.
