After four months of testing a new form of transportation in the city of Chicago, the e-scooter experiment has reached its conclusion. Ranging from June 15th to October 15th, roughly 800,000 e-scooter trips were registered in the defined pilot area. The test program prompted a lot of positive and negative feedback from both riders and pedestrians. The determination of whether or not e-scooters are going to stay or leave is still ongoing. Many factors will be taken into consideration before a decision is reached.
A Summary of Chicago’s E-Scooter Test Program
Looking back to the details of Chicago’s test program, the city allowed 10 different companies to distribute a total of 2,500 e-scooters throughout the designated area. These motorized scooters can reach speeds of roughly 15 mph and were governed by the same legal statutes as any other motor vehicle. Varying from company to company, the average cost associated with an e-scooter was the initial fee of $1.00 to unlock the vehicle, accompanied by 15 cents for every minute used. E-scooters were accessible from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day and could be left at any pickup location upon the riders’ completion.
What Will be Considered?
Whether or not e-scooters will remain in Chicago is the decision that must now be made. Key topics such as safety, popularity, and financials will all be taken into account during deliberation. To coincide with those areas of concern, the following topics may be considered by the city:
- Ridership data
- Community feedback
- Injury statistics
- Legal statistics
- Positives and negatives
- Survey results
Future Possibilities
A study conducted by the Active Transportation Alliance used information from Chicago’s pilot program to gather feedback and request recommendations about e-scooters in the future. Breaking down their statistics:
- 1,541 respondents participated in the online survey.
- The most prevalent respondent group was white males with a household income over $100,000.
- 62% lived or worked in the test pilot area.
- 61% reported that he or she has never ridden an e-scooter.
- 63% of respondents supported the idea of Chicago developing a long-term, regulated e-scooter program.
The study further reported that the most opposition came from older adults; race and income proved to be a non-significant indicator in the study. Viewed by many as an affordable, fun, and quick way to get around town, these devices scooted their way into the realm of public transportation. Additionally, many businesses reported an increased amount of foot traffic during the pilot program.
If Chicago does plan to keep e-scooters in the city, survey respondents offered feedback on different ways to improve the program. Most commonly recommended was the addition of parking corrals throughout the city to address injury concerns. Furthermore, the idea of creating new walking and biking areas to reduce congestion was also supported. A final request was that community leaders should have a say about the future of e-scooters in Chicago.
Contact a Chicago E-scooter Injury Attorney
The four-month e-scooter test program was considered by many to be a positive indicator for whether or not these vehicles will remain in Chicago. A major concern, however, is the possibility of future injuries. Sharing your thoughts, concerns, and personal injury stories may factor into the decision-making progress. The Livas Law Group has represented many clients who have been injured by an e-scooter. To speak to one of our experienced Illinois scooter injury attorneys, call our office today at 312-804-6102 for a free initial consultation.
Sources:
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/escooter-share-pilot-project.html
https://wgntv.com/2019/10/15/chicagos-electric-scooter-pilot-comes-to-an-end/
https://activetrans.org/busreports/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/E-Scooter-Policy-Report.pdf