A recent Columbian article discussed the potential arrival of electric scooters in Vancouver (“Vancouver closer to embracing e-scooters,” Aug. 20, The Columbian). The article mentioned in passing the risk of injury to pedestrians on sidewalks. Statistics can be construed in multiple ways, but comparisons to vehicle accidents may be meaningless, since there are so many automobiles in America.
A simple research trip to Portland could help the Vancouver City Council decide if they want their sidewalks to be littered by hundreds of carelessly parked scooters. The introduction of a new transportation method without providing a pathway separated from pedestrians and traffic is a recipe for injuries, deaths and lawsuits.
A San Diego tow company has retrieved 12,500 illegally parked scooters from private property. The city of San Diego has impounded 2,500 illegally parked scooters from public property. There are multiple scooter-related lawsuits against San Diego.
Does this seem like a great idea for Vancouver?
