The pilot program has been extended until Jan. 31 "as the City evaluates the vendors participating in the program and prepares a report for Council to act on an extended program," City Traffic Engineer Eric Widstrand (PE, TE, PTOE) told LBREPORT.com in an email today (Nov. 5.)

Other cities that allowed motorized e-scooters to operate with little or no regulation experienced polarized results, with users praising the convenience and pedestrians panning the devices as potentially injurious, motor vehicle drivers calling them dangerous and other residents complaining that scooter-users park (or simply dump) their rented devices wherever they please. With LB's pilot regulatory program, LBREPORT.com has heard similarly polarized results.

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LB's regulatory experience began on Aug. 17, when city staff announced a pilot program with a release predicting it would provide "the City's residents and visitors with even more shared mobility options...At the end of the program, the City will assess how each operator (allowed vendor) served the community over the three-month pilot. Then the City will determine if a permanent program makes sense, and if so, which operator or operators will be licensed for long-term service."

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Four days later on Aug. 21, city issued a second release "reminding residents of electric scooter program rules."

[Aug. 21 city release text] "Long Beach has been a proactive leader in active transportation, and this e-scooter pilot program is a part of the City’s multi-modal efforts," said City Manager Patrick H. West. "By carefully initiating a pilot program where we can learn and observe what works, Long Beach has avoided what other cities have experienced where large numbers of scooters have been dropped into a community with no structured program regulation or permits."

• Only riders 18 years of age or older can utilize e-scooter sharing platforms, and they must comply with the following sections of the California Vehicle Code (CVC) and Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC):
• E-scooters must be parked upright in a position so that they do not block pedestrian traffic on sidewalks, bikeways or paths (CVC §21235i).
• All riders must wear helmets, regardless of age (CVC §21235c). Riders can request a free helmet from each operator.
• E-scooters cannot be ridden on the sidewalk anywhere in Long Beach (CVC §21235g).
• When there is a bike lane present, scooters must ride within that lane (CVC §21229a).
• E-scooter riders cannot ride on private property (LBMC 9.42.100a).

By providing an additional "green" transportation option, the goal of the City’s e-scooter pilot program is to reduce the number of short, single-occupancy car trips in Long Beach. >

The pilot program splits the City into three zones and requires each operator maintain at least twenty percent of its fleet in each zone. In doing so, the City aims to avoid an over concentration of e-scooters in any one part of Long Beach. The requirement to distribute e-scooters in every zone also ensures residents have the option of trying scooters by various operators no matter where they live, while giving operators the opportunity to acquaint themselves with different parts of the City.

"We've implemented a number of measures to assist operators with keeping the public right of way clear, deploying their e-scooters at marked drop-off locations and encouraging their riders to ride safely," said Eric Widstrand, City Traffic Engineer. "The number one priority for the program is to ensure safety for the community."

Working closely with the permitted e-scooter operators during this three-month pilot program period, the City will regularly assess the success of the program to determine the feasibility of potential future operations in Long Beach.

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By October 2, the motorized e-scooter issue had percolated up to City Council level when Councilwoman Suzie Price, joined by Councilmembers Pearce, Mungo and Uranga, agenized a proposed bam on motorized scooters on the Beach bike path. The Council's discussion, pro and con, quickly went beyond the bike path and the Council action morphed on the Council floor into a motion by Price, seconded by Mungo "to direct staff to reach out to the vendors to look at possibilities for geofencing; refer the item to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for future study; and to send vendors a friendly reminder of the terms of agreement of the pilot program." The motion carried 9-0.

The Council's Transportation and Instructure Committee is comprised of Councilmembers Supernaw (chair, who can call meetings), Uranga (vice-chair) and Pearce (member).

We'll report reaction as received.

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