With springtime temperatures firmly in place, that could mean an increase in motorized scooter activity around Lexington.
Since the electric-powered scooters came on the scene in Lexington a few years ago, somewhere between 170 and 180,000 trips have been recorded annually. Lexington Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Scott Thompson said scooter firms Bird and Lyft’s inventory could reach 800 scooters, but currently, it averages around 500 a day combined.
“We like to see two and a half rides per vehicle per day and we never, hardly ever get to that point. And so we would have to well over that before we would allow them to increase their fleet sizes,” said Thompson.
Thompson said, generally, the peak period for electric scooter use around Lexington is August and September when college students come back to town.
Thompson said significant injuries to pedestrians haven’t been a major issue.
“Off-hand I don’t recall of any, certainly recently, or over the past couple of years. Now, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen or doesn’t go unreported. But that’s our only mechanism for tracking that is their kind of self-report card,” said Thompson.
Thompson noted the city is in a position to monitor the two electric scooter companies for compliance. And Thompson added they have been cited for some violations, but typically the two firms do respond in short order.
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