In January we wrote about the invasion of electric scooters in Atlanta and how they’d become equal parts hinderance and a convenient mode of transportation. But today we’re updating that story to report on some new electric scooter regulations.
The Atlanta City Council recently voted 13-1 to allow e-scooters to stay but with some new rules, five to be exact.
1. Riders will no longer be able to cruse on the sidewalk.
2. One rider is allowed per bike and the max speed limit is 15mph.
3. Just like driving, riders are not allowed to text and scoot.
4. E-scooters supposed to be parked upright, not laying on the ground blocking sidewalks.
And 5. E-scooter companies like Bird and Lime now have to pay $12,000 a year to be allowed to have 500 bikes in the city. And if they want more then they will have to pay additional for each bike.
While the first four rules are understandable safety features (all of which are standard safety rules from the e-scooter company themselves) the last one is the most is the biggest change.
In our previous e-scooter story we reported that riders will face fines for leaving their scooters around the cities but now the companies themselves are facing a fine to have their product here.
However, don’t think this will limit the amount of e-scooters in the city. With multiple companies vying to have their product in Atlanta, the city will be able to turn a nice revenue on the product themselves but they’ll still be e-scooters as far as the eye can see.