Category Archives: local government

+1 Major City Electric Scooter Ordinance. 3 Points from Messaging from E Scooter Companies

CITY: San Francisco

San Francisco’s ordinance sets up:

  • The Powered Scooter Share Permit Program
  • 1 year pilot program
  • Up to 5 e-scooter operator permits will be issued
  • initial  6 months, as many as 1,250 scooters may be permitted.
  • An increase can occur and allow  up to 2,500 scooters 

What are e-scooter companies’ positions?

  • conciliatory
  • want to operate in legal framework
  • “meaningful and responsible part of your transportation landscape”
  • committed to the Save Our Sidewalks Pledge to…

+1 Coastal City New Electric Scooter Rules. Cap scrapped in favor of this:

City: Santa Monica

The new electric scooter rules:

  • 6-month pilot program
  • dynamic cap the number of electric scooters and bicycles (not set yet and can be extended)
    • the 1500 cap was scrapped
  • limit the number of companies that operate the vehicles
  • impose a fee on the companies for operations $20,000 operation fee + $50 per vehicle

Does Santa Monica have a history with electric scooters? Yes, it was the 1st city Bird offered scooters in starting September 2017

CNET | Santa Monica hits…

Lege Trend. Regulatory Trend. Procurement Opportunity. Smart Stoplights. Red Light Cameras Meet Minority Report

What are smart stoplights?

  • networked traffic lights
  • connected to video cameras
  • respond quickly to changing traffic conditions
  • prioritize signals for emergency vehicles
  • make crossings safer for cyclists and pedestrians

The Vendor: Miovision

Testing grounds: 5 intersections in Detroit

Governing | These Smarter Stoplights Could Be Lifesavers

Local Ride Share Trend. Capping Prices.

City: Honolulu

What was the response from the taxi industry?  Supporters of the surge pricing cap held signs that read “equal rights for taxi drivers,”

Does the local ordinance set a cap or delegate that authority? Honolulu’s director of customer services will set the surge pricing cap

Government Technology | Honolulu Passes Bill to Cap Uber, Lyft Surge Prices

Legal Trend. Ride Share and Open Records. State Supreme Court Opens Records

State: Washington

The State Court: Washington State Supreme Court

The standard for releasing open records: records can withheld “only if disclosure would clearly not be in the public interest and would substantially and irreparably damage a person or a vital government interest.”

What’s the big deal?

  • Researchers across the country, including in Texas, want the data
  • The data from taxi fares has been available for 40 years

Seattle Times | Uber and Lyft may have to disclose Seattle data they…

Business TREND. Procurement Opportunity. Electric License Plates. Legislation to move it forward.

Where are digital license plates being tested? Sacramento city cars are pilot testing digital license plates.

Are other locations on the horizon?  Yes, Texas & Florida

The company pushing digital license plates: The 

What else can digital license plates do?

  • track mileage
  • set geofence notifications

Cost of a digital license plate: $699 for individual consumers, plus installation, as well as a monthly fee of about $7.

The 2013 California legislation: A DMV bill calling for a study of…

Anatomy of the Mile High Cities Response to Electric Scooters

Denver has responded to electric scooter proliferation by:

  • removing scooters that are blocking sidewalks and other public spaces
  • developing new rules to regulate electric scooters
  • public safety is the paramount concern
  • coordination with its bike share program

Government Tech | Denver Scrambles to Respond to Sudden Appearance of Electric Scooter-Share Fleet 

7 Points from the Right on Regulating Electric Scooters.

Empower Texas sets up itscall for state action on the economic innovation of electric scooters by  highlighting 7 problems with Austin’s electric scooter proposal:

  • Requiring expensive locking mechanism on each scooter
  • Engine power caps that limit scooter use on hills
  • Data Sharing Requirements. Full access of scooter and customer data afforded to the city.
  • Large fees for additional scooters over the first 500
  • Low Incoe distribution requirements. “A plan to the city for rollout of the…