The Scooter Situation in Your Area (Atlanta/the metro) (Millen: closing, taxis)

[Sualpine]

Meanwhile, this is what it looks like when a city doesn't hate any means of transportation that isn't a car:

https://austin.curbed.com/2018/12/18...-how-many-2018

[evannole]

Marietta is going to ban the dockless scooter companies from setting up shop here. I am pleased, based on the mess I have seen them cause in in-town Atlanta.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by DreamerD

It's been my experience. When I said tearing each other down and not treating each other well, I wasn't just referring to the scooter situation. It's schools, it's the strangers in the bar, etc.



And no, it's not just younger people. I've seen this behavior common amongst those who are 50+ but I don't want to get off topic.

Dreamer, what you describe transcends race, age, gender, economics, and so on. It is truly out of hand and a poor reflection on our sad state of affairs.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by evannole

Marietta is going to ban the dockless scooter companies from setting up shop here. I am pleased, based on the mess I have seen them cause in in-town Atlanta.

Result is banning a mode of alternative transportation that could reduce car trips. Instead those trips will be taken by personal vehicles and use the free parking or Uber/Lyft and create congestion, air pollution. #CobbGonnaCobb

[evannole]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Result is banning a mode of alternative transportation that could reduce car trips. Instead those trips will be taken by personal vehicles and use the free parking or Uber/Lyft and create congestion, air pollution. #CobbGonnaCobb

No, anyone who wants to is welcome to use their own scooter to get to and from the Square. What the city doesn't want is scooters that are not owned by individuals strewn all over the sidewalks on the Square, which makes sense. If the riders don't own them, don't have to charge them and don't care if they get stolen, then they just end up dumped everywhere.

I suspect that if the companies were willing to work with the city to develop a designated parking/charging area for them, and implement a system that charged renters a substantial fee if the scooters were abandoned in the vicinity of the Square but not at the charging station, then they might get somewhere. But for now, the city is saying, we don't like your current business model and the way it encourages your users to just abandon these things in the middle of the sidewalk, and until you change it, you're not doing business here.

As for parking, there's not much free parking on the Square anymore. The garages now require payment most of the time, and I am fine with it.

#cqGonnacq

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by evannole

I suspect that if the companies were willing to work with the city to develop a designated parking/charging area for them, and implement a system that charged renters a substantial fee if the scooters were abandoned in the vicinity of the Square but not at the charging station, then they might get somewhere. But for now, the city is saying, we don't like your current business model and the way it encourages your users to just abandon these things in the middle of the sidewalk, and until you change it, you're not doing business here.

I think this makes sense in a town square area. Midtown and Downtown Atlanta are one thing, being mostly a series of streets spread out over miles. But, the Marietta Square is a compact park-like setting, and having dozens of scooters randomly strewn-about would detract from the environment they are going for. Simply finding a way to create designated parking spots for them just off the main square would probably be enough.

#cqGonnacq

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

I think this makes sense in a town square area. Midtown and Downtown Atlanta are one thing, being mostly a series of streets spread out over miles. But, the Marietta Square is a compact park-like setting, and having dozens of scooters randomly strewn-about would detract from the environment they are going for. Simply finding a way to create designated parking spots for them just off the main square would probably be enough.

Removing a couple on-street parking spots would create safe, dedicated parking for LIT (Light individual transport; eg: bicycles, scooters, etc.)

Boom, problem solved!
#cqdidcq

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Removing a couple on-street parking spots would create safe, dedicated parking for LIT (Light individual transport; eg: bicycles, scooters, etc.)

Boom, problem solved!
#cqdidcq

Actually, I think that was a #cqdidsam, since you essentially repeated what I said. But, it also conjures up images I just don't need in my head.

[joey86]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Removing a couple on-street parking spots would create safe, dedicated parking for LIT (Light individual transport; eg: bicycles, scooters, etc.)

Boom, problem solved!
#cqdidcq

There are bike racks at Marietta Square, I'm sure a scooter owned by an individual would be fine parked at one of them.

One thing I'm curious about though; Out of all the times you have mentioned using parking spaces as places to park company-owned scooters, you have never mentioned who you believe should pay for those spaces. Do you believe that the companies should pay for the spaces, or that they should be provided by the cities?

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by joey86

There are bike racks at Marietta Square, I'm sure a scooter owned by an individual would be fine parked at one of them.

One thing I'm curious about though; Out of all the times you have mentioned using parking spaces as places to park company-owned scooters, you have never mentioned who you believe should pay for those spaces. Do you believe that the companies should pay for the spaces, or that they should be provided by the cities?

Use existing on-street parking spaces, that way dockless mobility devices are out of the sidewalk. The city owns the public ROW, dockless mobility companies pay the city a yearly permit to operate on public ROW. The fees collected go to sidewalk maintenance, installation of more dockless mobility corrals (minimal cost) and expansion of LIT lanes, trails, etc.
Private vehicles, delivery trucks, etc. get to use the parking spaces for no charge or pay a small fee.