A Town Hall Meeting
Since the introduction of e-scooters in Atlanta, there has 3 fatal incidents involving the scooters. Along with these fatal injuries there has been reported at least 190 non-fatal injuries. This has led city officials to imposing regulations on how e-scooters are to be used. The first of these regulations is a curfew that banned the use of e-scooters at night. Despite this, there has still been a number of reported injuries, including the fatal 8 injuries, that has become the major talking point for city officials. With e-scooters becoming very popular since their introduction into the city, it can be seen that looking into the safety surrounding e-scooters will be of major importance going forward for the city. This has led to a major town hall gathering, in which hundreds came to speak on this concerning issue.
Town Hall Meeting Called
In the wake of the safety concerns of e-scooters, a town hall meeting took place to discuss this issue. With hundreds gathering together for the meeting, Atlanta Planning Commissioner Tim Keane gave his take on his concerns involving e-scooters. He stated, “the thing that creates unsafe conditions is cars,” to which he was greeted with applause from the audience. With this, it has been stated that members of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, has petitioned to change the speed limit to 25 mph in the city of Atlanta. This view was then agreed upon by Commissioner Tim Keane when he said “a fast car in the city is a negative thing,” Besides the point of changing the city’s speed limit, there were also talks of setting a limit to how many e-scooters would be allowed in the city. This limit would require officials to have to physically count the number of scooters there are in Atlanta, which could prove to be a tall task. As of now the number is given by the e-scooter companies that they submit to the city.
A Future Outlook
Despite the number of issues that has arisen due to e-scooters, it seems that this new form of transportation will be here to stay. As has been stated numerous times, there has to be certain safety measures in place to ensure proper public safety. Although plans have been made to set in new safety precaution, it remains to be seen if these will fix the current issues. As of now it can only hoped that new regulations will only help protect the public and maintain safe conditions for e-scooter users.
