Scooters pushed down the road
The Redondo Beach City Council has again chosen to defer a decision on allowing bike and scooter-sharing programs until 2019. In the meantime, city staff was directed to study policies with other local and regional entities.
“It sounds like we’re in agreement: We’re not burying our heads in the sand, but we don’t want to be on the bleeding edge of this,” said Councilman Christian Horvath.
The council’s decision was influenced by caution. Mayor Bill Brand repeatedly brought up liability concerns, including crashes that have named the City of San Diego as a defendant in lawsuits.
“I’d rather let other cities hash it out — see how it fleshes out and maybe consider a trial [program],” Brand said. “For us to wade into this at this juncture, it’s not risk-free.”
In April, the City Council chose to hold off on making a decision regarding bike and scooter-sharing phone applications to give local businesses a chance to set themselves up to succeed against Bird and Lime scooters and bikes.
In the intervening time, the South Bay Cities Council of Governments and its member cities — including Redondo Beach — issued a survey to gauge resident interest in the programs and to help develop regional policy.
The local results were mixed. Of nearly 400 responses, 52.9 percent of Redondo residents said they would not be personally interested in using bike or scooter share programs, with a majority saying they’re concerned about a lack of bicycle and scooter infrastructure.
The 47.1 in favor, however, liked the convenience and flexibility of bike and scooter apps.
As part of the Council’s direction, city staff will look into the possibility of working with companies to geofence areas — creating zones where the apps cannot be used — to prevent rentals or drop-offs in the city’s tourist areas and protect local rental businesses.
The item is likely to return to the council by March.