Minneapolis City Council Approves Scooter Pilot Program

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Minneapolis City Council has approved a license agreement for shared motorized foot scooter operators as part of a pilot program.

The program, which is set to last through Nov. 30, will initially cap the number of scooters allowed in the city at 200, but will increase that cap to 400 during the months of October and November. The city can also increase or decrease those numbers at any time.

State law regulates how the scooters can be operated. Operation of the scooters is prohibited on sidewalks, except to cross them. The scooters can be operated on bicycle paths, bicycle trails, bicycle lanes and bikeways unless otherwise marked.

State law also say scooter operators must follow the same traffic laws as bicyclists. They scooters must be ridden as close to the right side of the road as possible, and scooter riders cannot carry passengers.

The city plans to use data throughout the pilot program to evaluate scooters' impact on the right of way, user riding and parking behavior, and equitable distribution and access. The city will also do analysis and determine the best framework for relaunching the scooters in the spring of 2019.

The scooters can be parked on sidewalks if they are not blocking pedestrian travel or access, and they should be parked upright using the kickstand when not in use.

See more information here.