These scooter users forced a bicycle rider to swerve around them while they rode wrong way on SE 52nd Avenue. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
As part of an effort to encourage safer use of electric scooters, the City of Portland will host a safety event this Thursday (9/13).
Here’s the official announcement just released by PBOT:
PBOT to host Electric Scooter Safety Event – Scooter Companies will also be on hand to give away helmets
The Portland Bureau of Transportation will host an e-scooter safety event on Thursday, Sept. 13 as part of its ongoing education efforts during PBOT’s Electric Shared Scooter Pilot Program.
Representatives from all three scooter companies operating in Portland – Bird, Lime and Skip – will also give away over 500 free helmets on a first come, first served basis. PBOT will distribute safety information to scooter users.
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This card was one of hundreds attached to scooters around town.
The Shared Scooter Pilot Program is a 120 day pilot program which runs until November 20. Through the pilot program, PBOT created a temporary scooter permit to allow companies to offer scooters for rent. Both during and after the pilot, PBOT will conduct an evaluation of the program, including surveying Portlanders, to determine whether scooters are compatible with the safe, efficient and equitable operation of Portland’s transportation system.
By state law, scooter riders must wear a helmet and cannot ride on sidewalks. According to the city code, the scooters cannot be used in city parks. Riders are required to park scooters on the sidewalk close to the curb, so that scooters do not interfere with pedestrians. As a condition of receiving a permit, companies are required to educate riders about safe riding and proper parking behavior. More information about PBOT’s Shared Electric Scooter Pilot Program can be found at www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/e-scooter
The event will take place from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm on Thursday at the intersection of SW Broadway and Oak.
It’s not clear what spurred the safety event, although concerns about safe and legal use of the scooters has been common in local headlines since the pilot program began earlier this summer. A few weeks ago PBOT began attaching cards on scooters that shared basic safety tips and offered reminders of the rules of the road. A scooter user was involved in a collision with a TriMet bus in northeast Portland on August 30th.
