News

Atlanta Mayor Bans New Scooter Permits

WABE

July 25th, 2019

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an executive order banning new permits for e-scooters.

The nine scooter companies with permits already in the city are not affected. Atlantans have made more than 2 million trips on e-scooters since the city started tracking data earlier this year.

This week, dozens of transit advocates created a human chain near West Peachtree and 15th Street to represent a protected bike and scooter lane. The event called for city leaders to do more for safer streets. It also memorialized the most recent scooter death that involved a CobbLinc bus.

Planning Commissioner Tim Keane said the city was already on its way to stopping new permits.

“We’ve been discussing it,” said Keane. “The tragedy that occurred recently precipitated moving faster.”

Councilmember Amir Farohki said Atlanta is oversaturated with scooters.

“Putting a stop on adding new scooters is the right thing to do at the time,” he said. “It does not absolve us at the City from improving our roads and sidewalks so they’re safer for everyone.”

Sally Flocks, president of CEO of the advocacy group PEDS, said the permit moratorium was needed.

“We already have too many scooter companies and too many scooters,” she said.

She’d eventually like to see more protected lanes in Atlanta.

“With so many permits already out there and so little infrastructure, we have a long way to go,” she said.