a report from Vice Mayor Jan Devereux, Chair of the Transportation & Public Utilities Committee, for a public hearing held on July 15, 2019 to discuss a pilot program for regulating and permitting shared electric scooters to operate in Cambridge

Attachment A TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE COMMITTEE MEETING ~ AGENDA ~ Sullivan Chamber 4:00 PM Monday, July 15, 2019 CALL OF THE MEETING The Transportation & Public Utilities Committee will hold a public hearing to discuss a pilot program for regulating and permitting shared electric scooters to operate in Cambridge. OPENING REMARKS AND INTRODUCTIONS Vice Mayor Devereux, Chair of the Transportation and Public Utilities Committee PRESENTATION BY CITY STAFF Susanne Rasmussen, Director of Environmental and Transportation Community Development Planning, Department CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION PUBLIC COMMENT DISCUSSION ADJOURNMENT ....... Page 1 City of Cambridge

Attachment B Crane, Paula Steedman Bass < [email removed]> From: Sent: Friday, July 12, 2019 6:43 PM Clerk To: Opposition to motorized scooters from Cambridge taxpayer and 15-year resident Subject: TO: CAMBRIDGE MA CITY COUNCILORS FROM: STEEDMAN BASS, 6-SHEPARD ST. RE: OPPOSITION TO ALLOWING MOTORIZED SCOOTERS TO OPERATE (LEGALLY) ON CITY STREETS AND (ILLEGALLY) ON CITY SIDEWALKS Dear City Councilors, I have written once to Vice Mayor Jan Devereax expressing opposition to legalizing on motorized scooters on city streets. As someone who cares about sustainable, healthy, low-cost, and dare I say, civilized transport in Cambridge, they to me are a *terrible* idea. 1) Motorized scooters add another layer of burden law-enforcement to city police. Presumably scooters would be banned from sidewalks. But due to relative danger of riding on the street, a large percentage of users will flout that law. Once on the sidewalk, high-speed collisions with pedestrians are inevitable. 2) Electric scooters are much less safe than bicycles, due to small wheels, untrained operators, and motors. This city is filled with potholes. Potholes presents dangers to cyclists, but orders of magnitude greater threat is posed to people riding at high speeds on tiny wheels. The city will inevitably face lawsuits from people badly injured riding into potholes. This will be a large hidden cost to this form of transport. I'm sure you're aware that within 15 minutes of the launch in Brookline, a 62 year old woman was on the way to the hospital due to an accident. https://www.wbur.org/bostonomix/2019/04/01/e-scooters-launch-in-brookline-accident-sends-woman-to- hospital-minutes-later 3) The scooter-share concept of ditching a scooter anywhere one pleases after use essentially creates legal dumping of unwanted goods on city streets, with attendant eye-sore, and an unpaid consumption of a valuable public resource (clear sidewalks). 4) Scooters encourage anti-social behaviors, like all personal transport devices with a motor. 'Out of my way' is a dominant feeling once people attach themselves to a motor. In California pedestrians have banded together to initiate a class action lawsuit against scooter companies for posing unacceptable risk to law-abiding pedestrians. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/10/20/class-action-lawsuit-accuses-e-scooter- companies-gross-negligence/?utm term=.25484f7fdObe 5) They will actively discourage walking and non-motorized. Why walk when you can scoot? 6) Lastly, they generate e-waste. Of all the problems facing the world, too-little e-waste is not one of them. What happens to all those batteries. I'm sure the companies will say they recycle responsibly, and guaranteed some percentage will end up in landfills and oceans, leaching toxic waste. Much better than introducing a new category of motorized vehicles in an effort to reduce automobile congestion is to promote existing safe, low-cost, and healthy options, specifically walking and cycling. As a long time cyclist in Cambridge, city streets are patently unsafe. Recent efforts are welcome, but utterly patchwork. It's impossible to ride more that a mile without a cycle lane disappearing completely. We don't have disappearing roads.

The best option to reduce traffic is to implement a nominal congestion charge, a la London. American hate the idea of paying for road access. But if we price road-access as worthless, we will forever be stuck in traffic. Ironically, giving away road access for free is absolutely the most expensive way to price mobility in an urban environment. I know that concept is probably two decades out, but Cambridge could be a leader in proving that congestion charges save (masses of) money. IN SUMMARY: 1) Please don't legalize electric scooters, another form of motorized transport, which is less safe than existing modes of motorized transport, and will more directly threaten pedestrian safety. 2) Please focus instead on improving the safety and attractiveness of non-motorized transport, specifically walking and cycling 3) Please consider nominal per-mile congestion charges as the lowest cost, least 'command-and-control' approach to reducing short-distance single-passenger automobile traffic in the city -S 2

Crane, Paula From: Carol Lee Rawn < [email removed]> Sunday, July 14, 2019 10:18 PM Sent: Crane, Paula To: electric scooters in Cambridge Subject: Facilitating safe and widespread use of E-scooters as well as other micromobility alternatives (ebikes, biking etc) and walking is critical to fighting climate change. Given that transportation is the largest source of GHG emissions in the US- we need to foster micromobility in urban areas like Cambridge by ensuring safe and separated infrastructure and providing incentives for people to get out their cars. Thank you! Carol Lee Rawn 59 Larchwood Dr, Cambridge, Ma 02138

Attachment C Crane, Paula From: Carol Lee Rawn < [email removed]> Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2019 10:18 PM To: Crane, Paula electric scooters in Cambridge Subject: Facilitating safe and widespread use of E-scooters as well as other micromobility alternatives (ebikes, biking etc) and walking is critical to fighting climate change. Given that transportation is the largest source of GHG emissions in the US - we need to foster micromobility in urban areas like Cambridge by ensuring safe and separated infrastructure and providing incentives for people to get out their cars. Thank you! Carol Lee Rawn 59 Larchwood Dr, Cambridge, Ma 02138

July 2019 Attachment D 2019 SEP - 3 PM |: 12 CAMBRIBEE MASSRUGSETTS City of Cambridge Transportation and Public Utilities Committee - July 15, 2019 Scooter-Share Pilot Options for Implementing a City of Cambridge

July 2019 DC mobility options in a way that goals and policies. recommendations for policy, programs, and regulations that will aligns with and advances existing Our goal is to develop actionable help the City implement new New Mobility Blueprint (was Future of Mobility Implementation Blueprint) City of Cambridge

July 2019 Residential/neighborhood EV charging pilot design Recommended approaches to effective public engagement existing community goals Strategies and actions that allow the City to shape new mobility to meet Technical Advisory Group-first meeting was July 10, 2019 • Transportation trend assessment and future projections • Proposed regulatory strategy for key policies New Mobility Blueprint Process City of Cambridge

THE NEW YORKER stay in big city markets ...and finding ways to enter and JUN 12 2019 By SAM DEAN S9d JOHANA BHUIYAN Los Angeles Cines rental scooter market Bird buys Scoot — and a back door into San Francisco's racing to build more robust equipment to Scooter companies are become more profitable um:32019 100220007 • emmerty coe Some: Scooter companies had pinned their hopes on sturdier hardware to help them slow their cash bum and demonstrate that the business can be profitable. But Lime's Even the tougher metal has caused trouble-the additional weight makes it harder for workers to cart home scooters to charge overight. designed scooter, called Gen 3. is having problems of its own. The screens frequently crack or malfunction, and repairing brakes and other parts has proven complicated. experience shows how challensing that can be. and stronger aluminum to help the rehicles last longer. But months later, the custom- Scooter Breakdowns Weigh on Lime EXCLUSIVE Recent Scooter-Share Headlines By Cors Wein be 33

July 2019 across municipal boundaries • A joint scooter operator selection process Community Development; Law; DPW; and Traffic, Parking and Transportation • A memorandum of understand regarding: • Working group members include staff from the Commission on Persons with Disabilities; • Model program guidelines to be adopted by each community (in development) • State legislation weeks to develop local requirements for a pilot program: have held regular meetings to focus on key areas of collaboration: • In parallel, a City interdepartmental scooter working group meets every two • Since Fall 2018 Cambridge Boston, Somerville, Brookline, Watertown and MAPC Regional and City Processes City of Cambridge

July 2019 committees; it is not clear whether this will happen prior to the Legislature goes options, including scooters, and requires MassDOT to develop a micro-mobility advisory working group. Operationally, scooters would be regulated as bicycles. into informal session after July 31. (HD.3812 and SD.2167MAPC) drafted by MAPC communities. legislation. • Governor Baker filed a road safety bill that includes language about new mobility • Sen. Boncore, Rep. Hecht, and Rep. Moran also each filed scooter/micro-mobility • Rep. Madaro and Senator Collins filed scooter/micro-mobility bill • Latest update indicates that bills have yet to be reported out of their respective State Scooter Legislation - Multiple Bills Pending City of Cambridge

July 2019 communities o Must meet minimum requirements and owe no outstanding fees due to any of the • 3 vendors will be selected at random and allowed to operate in the pilot. operate in each community • Joint minimum requirements for scooter companies (MOU) • Launch scooter pilot after state legislation enacted—depending on season • Vendors selected through the lottery process must seek permits to • MAPC Process to pre-approve and select vendors Proposed Joint Scooter Operator Selection Process City of Cambridge

July 2019 • Clarify where they can and cannot be operated on sidewalks • Permit scooters on Cambridge-owned off-road paths Cambridge. scooter-share and potentially other shared mobility programs through MAPC eligibility and lottery process. • Propose that Council would issue permits only to companies that have been selected • Vendors would enter into license agreement with the City. • Would use pilot lessons learned to develop new municipal ordinance to permit • TPT would update traffic regulations to align with state law. • Companies would apply for 12.08.020 - Display of merchandise permit to operate in Year 2 Year 1 Proposed Scooter Permitting Process in Cambridge City of Cambridge

July 2019 integration with constituent reporting services including SeeClickFix • Insurance and indemnification • Morning scooter deployment—equitable distribution across city • Permit fees—fees to be set in accordance existing regulations • Lower rates for income-eligible users • Maximum speed-15 mph • Sidewalk riding rules-mirror bicycle regulations • Winter operations-likely not included in pilot • Data privacy and sharing agreement • Enforcement procedures for violations—fines for not responding w/in 2 hours; • Education of users re how to ride safely and park properly • Fleet size-minimum 250 per vendor; add scooters based on demand (3+/day) • Parking restrictions-cannot obstruct accessible paths and ramps Key Proposed Cambridge Scooter Pilot Elements City of Cambridge

10 July 2019 • Began on April 1 and ends on November 15, 2019 to levy penalties and fines, but didn't define them yet. spring, before state legislation passed. take and will likely sign on to that. regulatory authority to the BTD commissioner and allows the ability • Somerville is waiting to see what approach the other communities • Boston Mayor Walsh filed an Ordinance in January that delegates • Watertown has just joined the group. • Brookline moved forward with a scooter pilot with Bird and Lime this What our neighbors are doing City of Cambridge

11 July 2019 Thank You City of Cambridge

Attachment E Electric Scooter Data & Survey Results Mar 8, 2019 Over the last several months, Denver Public Works has been gathering data from electric scooter operators to better understand usage of these new mobility options. Since the pilot's launch in August 2018, there has been an average of 4,693 rides per day on weekdays and 4,993 rides per day on weekends, with users traveling almost one-million miles. Pilot Scooter Data August 2018 - January 2019 Denver Public Works staff are working to further analyze the data available and expect to be able to provide additional information and maps of this utilization in the coming weeks. Total Miles Traveled - 952,898 Total Number of Rides - 819,927 Average Number of Rides Per Operating Day - 4,832 Average Number of Rides Per Day, Weekday - 4,693 Average Number of Rides Per Day, Weekend - 4,993 Average Length of Ride Per Day Weekday (Miles) - 0.90 Average Length of Ride Per Day Weekend (Miles) - 0.98 Average Length of Ride (Miles) - 0.92 Total Miles Traveled - 952,898 Total Number of Rides - 819,927 Average Number of Rides Per Operating Day - 4,832 Average Number of Rides Per Day, Weekday - 4,693 Average Number of Rides Per Day, Weekend- 4,993 Average Length of Ride Per Day Weekday (Miles) - 0.90 Average Length of Ride Per Day Weekend (Miles) - 0.98 Average Length of Ride (Miles) - 0.92

In addition, more than 2,000 people responded to an online survey Denver Public Works launched last month to gain feedback on the first six months of the Dockless Mobility Pilot Permit Program. The survey queried both electric scooter users and non-users on their experiences with the pilot program so far, with 55% of people sharing positive feedback and 42% sharing negative feedback. Dockless Mobility Survey Responses Over a two-week period, 2,084 responses were received through an online survey Denver Public Works launched in January. Highlights of the survey responses include: • 50% had never ridden an electric scooter or dockless bike, 44% are electric scooter riders, and 6% are dockless bike riders • 40% ride a scooter occasionally, 35% ride one to three times per week, 20% ride three or more times per week, and 5% rode a scooter once • 43% of scooter trips replaced a walk trip, 22% replaced a rideshare trip, 14% replaced a bike trip, and 10% replaced a vehicle trip • 32% of the scooter trips were to/from work, 31% of the scooter trips were to/from entertainment or dining out, and 11% of scooter trips were to/from a work-related meeting or appointment • 44% never accessed transit with a scooter, 37% occasionally accessed transit with a scooter, 12% accessed transit one to three times per week with a scooter, and 7% accessed transit three or more times per week with a scooter Last month, Denver City Council passed an ordinance which moves electric scooter riders off the sidewalks on roads where the speed limit is 30 MPH or less. On streets where the speed limit is greater than 30 MPH and scooters are allowed on sidewalks, it reduces the speed at which users can ride to 6 MPH or less in order to improve the feeling of safety for non-riders. The survey launched about two-weeks after the new scooter rules took effect and asked people their experience around electric scooter riders over the last six months: • 63% of respondents reported they have been involved in a crash or near miss with an electric scooter, 34% have been hit or almost hit by a scooter when walking, and 19% have been hit or almost hit by a scooter when driving. With the new rules for scooters now in place, Denver Public Works continues to work with Denver Police on enforcement. Nearly half of scooter users who took the survey indicated that having more scooters available would encourage them to ride more. Data is also clearly showing electric scooters being regularly utilized through the first seven months of the pilot program, so Denver

Public Works will begin allowing electric scooter operators to make modest increases in their fleet sizes. Qualifying companies will be allowed to take advantage of these increases in early February. Requirement for increasing fleet size: Electric scooters operators that can demonstrate a minimum of three rides per vehicle per day will be eligible to increase their fleet sizes by 25%. This means, an electric scooter operator running the current maximum fleet size of 350 could increase its fleet size to 438. Additional 25% increases will be permitted in April and July 2019 using the same performance trigger. All increases will be contingent upon the operators complying with all requirements of their permits. Lime, Bird, and Lyft have maximized the number of scooters allowed on their permits, and it's anticipated they will be interested in the fleet size increases. Dockless bike companies have yet to maximize the number of vehicles allowed on their permits (500 bikes max.), so fleet size increases are not anticipated with these vehicle types yet. For the remainder of the pilot, which lasts through July 2019, the survey will remain open to provide a continuous mechanism for feedback on the pilot program. Denver will also continue to evaluate whether electric scooters can help. meet the goals outlined in Denver's Mobility Action Plan and provide meaningful ways for people to get to where they need to go. Related Tags City Council - At Large Two

Attachment F Crane, Paula Devereux, Jan From: Sent: Monday, July 15, 2019 3:47 PM Crane, Paula To: Fwd: Scooter Share Hearing Subject: Please add Nate Filmore's comments to the committee record. From: Nathanael Fillmore <[email removed]> Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2019 1:39:34 PM To: City Council Cc: DePasquale, Louie; Barr, Joseph; Baxter, Patrick; McKenna, Brooke; Farooq, Iram; Rasmussen, Susanne; Seiderman, Cara; O'Riordan, Owen; Watkins, Kathy Subject: Scooter Share Hearing Hi all, Here are a few thoughts on scooters in advance of the transportation committee hearing this week. These are my personal thoughts, not those of Cambridge Bicycle Safety. 1. First and foremost, in any pilot program, the quota for scooters should be set such that it is >= the quota for TNC vehicles. Since the latter is currently infinity, the quota for scooters should also be infinite. It makes absolutely no sense to allow an indefinite number of cars to use the public realm for private profit but not allow other competing modes to do so, especially given that the city has many other policies (e.g., VTRO) that are to discourage car use and encourage alternate modes. Once TNC quotas are introduced, which 1 am in favor of, then it might also make sense to consider scooter share quotas - but not before. 2. If there are quotas on scooter share, they should be set to be quite high. This is of critical importance in order to reduce disparities in availability of the scooters. In cities I've visited where there are strict quotas, the scooters are really only available in rich neighborhoods and tourist spots. That makes sense economically for the scooter companies, but it is not ideal for users in economically less privileged neighborhoods. In cities with looser or no quotas, there are scooters everywhere. We should strive to have scooters be available everywhere in Cambridge. 3. The main downsides of scooters from the point of view of negative external impacts on the rest of the community are within the city's power to address. These are (a) riding on sidewalks, and (b) messy parking on sidewalks. Item (a) is already mitigated in Cambridge to some extent by the fact that most of our sidewalks are too broken up and uneven for small scooter wheels to ride successfully on anyway. But, we can further mitigate item (a) by systematic implementation of a network of protected bike lanes across the city in the near future. Regarding item (b), I suggest reallocating one car parking space per block throughout the city as designated parking for scooters and bikes. Then the scooter shares could be geofenced to require parking in those spots. Item (b) will also have other benefits, e.g., on my block, there are at least a dozen car parking spaces but 0 places to park bicycles. I would love to reallocate one of those spots for bike and scooter share parking, and given the creative solutions to bike parking I see by others on my block, I'm guessing there would be substantial support for it. Sincerely, Nate

Attachmento Crane, Paula From: Lopez, Donna Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2019 8:20 AM To: Crane, Paula Fwd: Comment re Electric Scooters Subject: Get Outlook for ios From: Judith Nathans <[email removed]> Sent: Monday, July 15, 2019 6:11:32 PM To: Devereux, Jan; Kelley, Craig; Mallon, Alanna; Siddiqui, Sumbul; Zondervan, Quinton; Carlone, Dennis Cc: Lopez, Donna Subject: Comment re Electric Scooters Dear Councillors- I was not able to attend the hearing but have been watching it since around 4:38. I did not hear Susan Rasmussen's presentation. It is kind of fitting that I was in Coolidge Corner earlier, (as I am often) and alway notice scooters, which seemed to be parked sensibly although in a lot of places. However, as I was about to cross the street, with the flashing walk light at the corner of Babcock and Harvard Streets I was almost hit by two scooters speeding in front of me in the bike lane. The light had just changed, however, I believe there is a yellow light that flashes before the signal changes to red. Maybe I missed it, but there did not seem to be any discussion today about electric scooters using bike lanes. Most of the talk was concerning sidewalks. Are we then saying that scooters can only be in the streets with cars? If a scooter can go up to 15mph, that is even faster than a lot of bicycle riders (l am including myself in that group). Judith Nathans 511 Putnam Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139