The Huntsville City Council will vote Thursday night on whether to ask companies to propose models for operating electric scooters downtown.

The ordinance on the council’s agenda lays out rules for those scooters, but it only authorizes city leaders to seek proposals from companies willing to follow the rules. It is expected to pass the council given the interest from Mayor Tommy Battle, city planners and Downtown Huntsville, Inc., plus the detailed planning evident in 14-page ordinance.

The test area would be broadly considered downtown both east and west of Memorial Parkway. It would run from the Campus 805 and Stovehouse entertainment centers on the west side to California Street on the east. It would also extend south to include the Huntsville Hospital area. (See map at the above link)

In an article on the city’s website, Battle noted that scooters have become “a nuisance” in some cities. That’s what Huntsville is trying to avoid, the mayor said. The pilot program is a way to start “slowly and deliberately” to make sure the scooters are used safely, he said.

Rules about parking the scooters and how many can operate at any time are also part of the package. They will not be allowed in any park including Big Spring International Park or in any memorial area. They will not be dumped on any sidewalk. The scooters will be battery-powered e-scooters with a maximum speed of around 15 mph, and they will operate on the streets not sidewalks.

Why bring scooters into the transportation mix at all given the problems other cities have encountered? The city hopes they can help with the “first-mile, last-mile” trips around the city’s center, city planner Dennis Madsen said. Walking a few blocks to an appointment is routine, Madsen said, but scooters could help with the trips that are a half-mile or longer: too short to make a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft seem really necessary, but too long to walk.

They could also help the municipal bus system broaden its pool of users to include people who live a littler farther from the regular stops. And they’re simply a fun way to get around town.

Madsen and other city officials seem optimistic that a good scooter service could be in the city’s future. Acknowledging Huntsville is behind many cities who already have scooters, Madsen said, “In this case, it’s a good thing.” The city has a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t, he said.