SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The San Diego City Council will vote Tuesday on a regulatory package for dockless electric scooters, bicycles and the companies that own them.
The package would limit the speed of dockless scooters from 15 mph to 8 mph in high-traffic areas areas like Spanish landing and near Petco park, and as low as 3 mph along the Embarcadero and the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade.
Scooter companies like Bird, Lime and Razor would be required to use geofencing technology on their scooters to limit speeds and parking abilities in designated areas around the city. Bird already uses geofencing to reduce scooter speeds in areas like the Santa Monica Beach Bike Path.
Scooter riders would be banned from parking the devices near hospitals, schools, beach area boardwalks, the Petco Park perimeter and the north and south legs of the Embarcadero. The city also plans to designate scooter parking zones along city streets so as to decrease the number of scooters parked on sidewalks. In downtown, scooter riders and companies would only be able to park devices in groups of four, with at least 40 feet between groups.
The city would also require that scooter companies obtain a six-month operational permit with a to-be-determined fee and pay $150 per scooter or bike each year to continue operating in San Diego. Companies could renew permits in January or June, at which time they could negotiate operating terms like fleet size, which they are not currently required to report to the city.
The council's Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved the package in February and requested that it return to the committee within six months of its implementation for further review and to ensure the city is keeping pace with the evolution of technologies like geofencing.
The council is scheduled to discuss and vote on the package at its 2 p.m. session. The council will meet in the City Administration Building's 12th floor Council Chambers, located at 202 C St.
