Scooters are no longer just a 90s staple for cruising the neighborhood – they’re becoming an easy public transportation alternative to bikes, especially in areas where there’s not always a designated bike lane.
We asked on Twitter + Instagram if GVL is bikeable, and results were mixed (61% said no on Twitter, 77% said yes on IG). But what about scooter-able?
Cities like Charlotte + Austin are implementing dockless electric scooters as the newest commuting option, and college campuses are hopping on board. Furman University already uses Spin, a San Francisco-based service – find the nearest scooter using the Spin app, then scan in your code to zoom to class (they go ~15 mph).
In some cities, you can find a scooter with Spin (or Lime or Bird), pay $1 on your phone (with a valid driver’s license) and get a 30-minute ride.
The upside to renting a dockless electric scooter: you can park it anywhere. But it turns out that’s also the downside.
Denver has recently started impounding scooters that have been left strewn along sidewalks, often in what the city considers a pedestrian right-of-way. Most cities have made it clear they want to develop a better system for the dockless scooters rather than banning them entirely, but the solution is still a question mark.
Dockless electric scooters could be a great way to increase affordable + convenient public transportation, but that would require some monitoring over where the scooters are placed.
Would you ride an electric scooter through the city? 63% on Facebook + 51% on Instagram said no. Could they work in Greenville as an accessible transportation option for those who need it? With the right city/company cooperation, we could see a scooter comeback.
