SALT LAKE CITY — The city council is taking public comment on an ordinance that would regulate e-scooters.
The first public hearing was held Tuesday night. Another is scheduled for August 11. Meanwhile, the Salt Lake City Council is also taking comment online where it has posted a copy of the ordinance.
This will be the first time the city has regulated the scooters since they appeared in the city a few years ago. They've been praised and scorned by residents, particularly in the downtown area. Advocates say they're a great way to reduce reliance on cars and increase convenient mobility. In 2018, FOX 13 reported on hundreds of complaints submitted to the city objecting to people riding them on the sidewalks, disregarding traffic laws and abandoning them along the sidewalks or roads.
The ordinance seeks to regulate some of that. It would restrict where people can ride them (largely kicking the scooters off sidewalks), allow the city to determine how many companies can operate within the city and require them to be licensed. The scooter companies would be required to pay a fee to the city to help recoup costs for wear and tear to sidewalks and streets.
