ALPHARETTA, GA — The City of Alpharetta has banned the increasingly popular dockless scooters, citing safety and the possibility of the devices creating a nuisance.

The City Council unanimously approved on Monday's meeting, with Mayor Pro Tem Donald F. Mitchell and Councilman John Hipes absent, an ordinance to amend the Code of the City of Alpharetta that would effectively ban shareable dockless scooters.

At the May 20 City Council meeting, Alpharetta Administrator James Drinkard said local governments across the country are experiencing the increased integration of new technology

platforms into their transportation systems.

"One area where this growth is moving at a fast pace is the deployment of dockless shareable mobility devices, such as bikes, including electric assist, and electric scooters," he said at the May 20 meeting. "While these devices may have some potential to assist in 'last mile' transportation, they can also pose risks to public safety, become hazards or block sidewalks, or even pose questions relative to personal privacy and data sharing." Many of the major dockless scooter companies, including Lime and Bird, have a motive of introducing shareable dockless mobility devices into communities to simply place a large volume of them in a community without notice, betting that riders will encourage elected officials to change city infrastructure and enact regulations to ensure the devices become an essential part of transportation, Drinkard said.



"In every city on which the scooters have descended, city officials have been barraged with complaints about abandoned scooters in sidewalks, accidents, and 'near misses' with helmet-less riders on busy streets," he said. As reported by media outlets earlier this year, Grady Memorial Hospital estimated it receives between 80 and 100 scooter-related injuries per month, ranging from serious head injuries to broken limbs, Drinkard said. Around the nation, it's estimated there have been at least 1,500 injuries related to the scooters since 2017, according to a Consumer Reports magazine study published in February, he said. The magazine also found at least four scooter related fatalities were confirmed nationally. Data was compiled by the magazine after contacting 110 hospitals in 47 cities where the two biggest scooter companies, Bird and Lime, operate.

Atlanta Police will soon begin enforcing the city's scooter laws, which could include a ticket and fine of $1,000 if riders use the devices on sidewalks.

