By Andrew Fox

November 20 marked the end of e-scooters for Hoboken — for now. As regulators deliberate on what comes next for the city’s e-scooter program, Hoboken has become a case study for the benefits, and current limitations, of the e-scooter revolution.

There have been mixed results for Hoboken’s e-scooter trial. Earlier this year, the city of Hoboken kicked off a six-month pilot program with e-scooter operators Lime and OjO. During the trial period, e-scooters in Hoboken saw some of the highest usage per unit in the country. According to initial findings, Lime saw 10,300 people take more than 21,500 rides on in the first week of the pilot program. Unfortunately, without sufficient infrastructure, these pilot programs may have been doomed from the start.

During this period, Hoboken experienced an influx of public complaints about the safety of micromobility – a term coined to describe lightweight, environmentally friendly transportation solutions such as e-scooters and shared bicycles. The dockless e-scooters created significant clutter on city sidewalks, representing a hazard for pedestrians, including those with disabilities. Pedestrian safety also became a major point of contention as reckless e-scooter riders stirred controversy with DWI charges and hit-and-run accidents.

To address these incidents of public safety, the city made the decision to end its contract with OjO earlier than anticipated. Lime, however, with its smaller-sized e-scooters, was allowed to continue operating throughout the six-month contract, but it will not be renewed now that the trial period has expired.

Legalizing e-scooters is an uphill battle. Hoboken serves as a prime example of the challenges many major cities face when it comes to micromobility. Cities around the globe continue to embrace micromobility as a green option that can ease pressures on public transportation and congestion. However, significant pitfalls remain with the dockless model, such as cluttered streets and sidewalks, as well as the risk of fire as a result of charging scooters in residential buildings.

These shortcomings of the dockless e-scooter model are legitimate concerns for city planners and pedestrians alike, making the legalization of e-scooters a conundrum for regulators. To embrace micromobility in their communities, regulators will need to take an infrastructure-based approach to e-scooters, which includes designated parking for e-scooters such as docks and charging stations. In many cases, as with Hoboken, what municipalities lack is this vital infrastructure that can bring e-scooter chaos to order. Proper education should also be a key component for any e-scooter operator and city regulator to promote rider and pedestrian safety.

As e-scooters disappear from the streets of the Mile Square City, many riders who have come to depend on them for their daily commute will be forced to find other means of transit, many returning to using their cars, adding to the city’s street congestion and carbon footprint. As is often the case when on-demand services are forced to leave cities for regulatory reasons, many members of the public will fight back, and there will likely be a surge in public petitions for e-scooters to return to the community.

As city regulators review the findings of the pilot program to determine a path forward, I urge them to consider the vital role micromobility plays in the future of green, sustainable urban transportation. Together with e-scooter operators and the general public, regulators can create safe and workable solutions to alleviate the shortcomings of dockless micromobility to protect the integrity of city streets and keep pedestrians and residents from harm.

Andrew Fox is the CEO and co-founder of Charge, a New York-based startup focused on helping cities embrace the e-scooter and micromobility revolution while protecting the integrity, access and safety of sidewalks for all pedestrians.

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