After 4 Fatalities, Atlanta Bans E-Scooters At Night
Atlanta officials on Thursday announced a ban on electric scooters and electric bikes from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. daily. The ban takes effect Friday.
John Bazemore / Associated PRess
Thursday is the last day Atlantans can ride e-scooters and e-bikes at night. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has banned nighttime riding.
The move comes after four scooter-related deaths in Metro Atlanta.
All four people who died were hit by vehicles. All at night or early in the morning. The latest was a man in East Point who ran a red light and was hit by a truck.
This is the latest effort to further regulate the dockless devices. This summer, the city started a geofence that slows down scooters on the Eastside Trail of the BeltLine.
The city is also considering a ban for new permits to scooter operators. That ban does not affect the nearly 12,000 scooters already allowed in Atlanta.
“The nighttime ban was not part of the decision to stop issuing permits,” says Tim Keane, commissioner of City Planning. “But when we have accidents and tragically deaths in this case, that compels us.”
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement, “The nighttime ban, while we continue to develop further long-term measures, will ensure the safest street conditions for scooter riders, motorists, cyclists, those in wheelchairs and pedestrians.”
Atlantans have made more than two million trips on e-scooters since the city started tracking data earlier this year. The City passed an ordinance in January regulating the devices.
Several cities in metro Atlanta have an outright ban on e-scooters including Alpharetta, Marietta and Lilburn.
Atlanta’s nighttime ban starts Friday night. The “No Ride Zone” lasts from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Correction: This piece has been updated to correct the spelling of Keane‘s name.
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