Chicago’s E-Scooters To Be Banned From Lakefront and 606 Trails

WTTW reported this week that Chicago’s e-scooter program would not allow riders on the 606 trail. The Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) originally stated that the e-scooters would not be allowed on the lakefront pathway, but announced yesterday that the ban would also include the city’s busy 606 trail.

 The 606 is a 2.7-mile elevated rail trail running east–west on the northwest side of Chicago. The 606 is the former Bloomingdale Triain Line, which was converted into an elevated greenway, which runs through the Logan Square, Humbolt Park and West Town neighborhoods.

CDOT unsurprisingly also anounced that e-scooters would be banned from the downtown river walk and from O’Hare airport. E-scooter companies will bid for three (3) available two-year licenses from the city to deploy a maximum of 3,000 scooters on Chicago’s streets this spring. Each firm would be allowed no more than 1,000 scooters, according to the rules. 

“Companies will be allowed to deploy additional devices if they meet specific ridership, safety, compliance and education requirements,” according to a statement from the departments of Transportation and Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.

The program could expand to 12,500 scooters with the support of Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi’s support.

The deadline for firms to apply is Feb. 18, officials said. 

I think this is the right move by CDOT and the city council. The lakefront, 606 and riverwalk are all incredibly busy trails that can attract thousands of walkers, runner and bicyclists per day during warm weather. The addition of e-scooters, which are implemented to help reduce vehicle traffic on the city streets, would could cause undo congestion on the trails. The e-scooters will be available to rent through an online app, similar to the Divvy bicycles are currently available.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago traffic accident or Chicago truck crash, then call Chicago injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Chicago E-Scooter Program Will Become Permanent

Multiple local news outlets reported that the Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) has pushed forward a vote make Chicago’s -e-scooter program permanent after two sperate pilot programs. The City’s transportation committee approved making the program permanent and the entire city council will vote to enact today.

If approved the new program will authorize the transportation department to issue up to three licenses to scooter-sharing companies, with each company free to deploy 2,000 scooters per day, from 5 a.m. to midnight. The city will receive $1 per day for each scooter plus a 9% lease tax.

The new program will make the scooter more available throughout the city and for a longer period of time. The scooters will not be allowed on the lakefront. The technology will disable the scooter once they leave an authorized zone.

The safety issue, which appears to have been addressed by the transportation committee, is that the scooters will not work on sidewalks. CDOT has apparently been told that the technology will shut down a scooter once a rider tries to use on a sidewalk. I am somewhat dubious of this program due to the already crowded streets and bike lanes. The reporting on the committee meeting did now say whether scooters will be designated to bike lanes. If they are, will this create an issue between scooter riders and bicyclists? Also, will helmets be required for all scooter riders. These are some of the safety issues I believe need to discussed. Regardless, this program is moving forward as the vote is expected to pass today.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago bike accident or Chicago traffic accident, then call Chicago injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

New Study Looks At Causes For Electric Scooter Accidents

Electric Scooters have arrived in Chicago within the last month. There are thousands now available to rent around the city. As I wrote last month, the e-scooter program is similar to Divvy bicycles, which can be rented, picked up in one location and dropped off at another designated location. One major difference is that there are no designated pick up or drop off locations for e-scooters.

There has been quite a bit of news coverage the last few weeks regarding safety issues with these types of scooters. Within a few short days there were multiple traffic accidents reported, including a hit and run where a scooter apparently collided with a bicycle, leaving the bicyclist seriously injured.

So, what is the main cause of e-scooter accidents? My initial guess would be that the average person does not know how to properly drive them, especially in areas with heavy traffic.

According to a study d by the Texas Department of Public Health, the main culprit for e-scooter accidents is rate of speed. The study analyzed incident reports from nine area hospitals between Sept. 2 and Nov. 30 of last year. During that time, 192 people were injured, including 160 who were using dockless scooters through the city program and 32 who were possibly riding on privately owned devices.  Of those injured, 48% reported a head injury, including fractures, abrasions and lacerations, the study showed. Fifteen percent had evidence suggestive of a traumatic brain injury. Just one of the people injured reported wearing a helmet. Riders seemed honest when saying what caused their injuries: 37% of those surveyed said excessive speed was a contributing factor. 

I think the study confirms my assumption that many first time riders do not know how to handle these types of scooters in traffic. Specifically, they do no know when to slow down. I will be interested to see the statistics involved with e-scooter accidents in Chicago over the next year. Many parameters were put into place, including where the scooters could driven, and a ban on scooter use after 10:00 p.m. Let’s hope that the policies put into place will help protect those willing to jump on e-scooters and the pedestrians and bicyclists around them.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago traffic accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.