Shared Bikes and Scooters

WHY Shared bikes and Scooters?

Shared bikes and scooters (shared-rideables) can be a great sustainable way to travel around Sacramento.

Are Shared-Rideables a City of Sacramento program?

Who owns and operates these motorized scooters and bikes?

The City of Sacramento does not own or operate shared scooters or bike programs. They are owned and operated by private companies.





Using Shared Bikes and Scooter Services

People who plan to use shared services should do so in a safe manner. Please follow these laws and guidelines to help keep Sacramento moving safely.

Pedestrians first

It is illegal in California to use a motorized scooter on a sidewalk. (Cal. Vehicle Code, § 21235.)

City Code allows bicycle riding on sidewalks (City Code, § 10.76.010.) but bicyclists must yield to pedestrians and slow down, stop or dismount as needed. Bicyclists must give an audible warning if passing a pedestrian.

Stay in public areas

Do not take shared bikes or scooters to unauthorized areas, such as private property unless otherwise authorized.

Park responsibly

Park in a secure, upright position at a bike rack or City designated drop zone. Bikes and scooters must be parked at bike racks or City designated drop zone. Drop zones can be found at:

10th at I Street (near the cafe)

20th St at Capitol Ave

21st at Liestal Alley (near the bar)

35th St at Broadway (hear the cafe)

City Hall (9th St between H and I Streets)

L St at 12th St (near the hotel)

R St at 29th (near the grocery store)

As funding becomes available, the City will install additional drop zones and bike racks.

Where can you park?

Good news! We have a DRAFT map of where you can find bike racks in the City. Please note that this is an ongoing data collection effort and is subject to change. You can find a full map here.

What education and outreach has the City done around these devices and businesses?

The City's Public Works and Police Departments have conducted on-street education to those using shared-rideables about parking and following the rules of the road, like not scooting on sidewalks. We have also used social media, posted blog posts, and made videos.

The City expects the businesses that offer these devices to also educate their members about how to use their devices safely and legally.

REPORT

The City’s Parking Enforcement team are empowered to issue citations for parked shared-rideables that are obstructing a pedestrian path of travel. The officers can issue citations while on their patrol, just as they would for illegally parked cars. They can also respond to issues reported to 311 (see below). Similarly, issues with moving violations, can be reported to the Police Department.

Illegally parked shared scooters or bikes can be reported to Parking Enforcement through 311:

Location (address or intersection)

Identification number and operator (all shared bikes and scooters must have a unique identification number)

Description of the issue such as blocked sidewalk or curb ramp

Parking Enforcement can cite the operator $15 for each instance, 311 can contact the vendor to have the device moved.

Common Questions

Is shared-rideables a city program? Shared bikes and scooters are private businesses operating in the City of Sacramento. Any shared-rideable business operating in the City of Sacramento must follow city laws and have a permit to operate in the City. If scooter riders can’t ride on the sidewalk, why doesn’t the City of Sacramento require vendors to geofence off the sidewalk? Geofencing uses global positioning systems (GPS) to define or create a geographic boundary or a “virtual barrier.” While geofencing is a great tool, it is not perfect. GPS signals are not always strong and in turn the accuracy is not perfect, which makes geofencing sidewalks impossible until the technology improves. How is the City of Sacramento requiring these companies to address education and safety? The City of Sacramento requires shared-rideable vendors to provide user education about not scooting on sidewalks, parking at bike racks or City designated drop zones. Shared rideable vendors provide this education through their App and in education events they host or local community events they attend. Can the City of Sacramento impound shared-rideables? Yes. Section 5.18.500 Impoundment - allows for the City to impound: The City may impound a shared-rideable that is operating or found in the City in violation of this chapter. Does the shared-rideable ordinance incentivize private companies to follow the rules? Yes. City Code and the Administrative Procedures incentivizes shared-rideable companies to proactively address issues, such as through the $15 citation per incident for obstructing sidewalks. I don’t like the service areas of where these private companies are operating. The City does not manage the service area for the shared-rideable companies. They are a private business operating in the City and they determine their own service area. The City only requires companies to deploy 20% of their fleet to Opportunity Areas each morning. The website for these shared-rideable companies does not reflect the local rules of Sacramento. Usually these websites are for an entire nation-wide effort. Each individual company's App, if used in Sacramento, states that users are to “Park at bike racks or designated bike parking areas.” The City is collecting some funding for parking through the shared-rideable permit fees. The City will install parking based on demand. More information about public bike rack parking can be found here Is the City of Sacramento receiving any data from the private companies about where people are riding? Yes. The City of Sacramento requires permitted shared-rideable vendors to report anonymized weekly and monthly data. Staff are developing a data analysis process.

REferences

Sacramento Administrative Procedures on Shared-Rideables

Shared-Rideables Business Permit Application

Shared-Rideables Opportunity Areas GIS Map

Sacramento regulations around shared bicycle and scooters.

Sacramento Shared-Rideable Ordinance

Sacramento Shared-Rideable Fee Resolution