Dec 9, 2020
Community Boards Love Scooters
And two other unexpected revelations from LINK’s Scooter Safety Demonstrations in the “Better Boroughs” of New York City
By Paul Steely White
I love being in the field. Looking back on my 14 years of policy advocacy at Transportation Alternatives, my most cherished moments were the times I got out into the street as a loud-mouthed organizer, a traffic jammer, or, on one fun occasion, an antiquated car driver. Looking back, it was most often these kinds of in-the-street engagements — way more often than reports, conferences, and pronouncements — that made the difference.
So back in July, when my new colleagues at Superpedestrian asked if I could organize several in-person borough safety demonstrations of the LINK scooter and its on-board geofencing, I leapt at the challenge. Not just because I knew it would be fun, but because convincing New Yorkers requires showing up and showing what you’ve got. If the proof is in the pudding, then the evidence is in the e-scooter.
From Snug Harbor to Yankee Stadium we completed 17 safety and geofence demonstrations over 3 months, 16 of them in Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island — what John Choe of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce calls the “Better Boroughs.”
Roughly 612 test rides, 1.5 gallons of hand sanitizer, and countless conversations later, we’ve learned a lot about what it’s going to take to make shared e-scooters a success in the big city. While some of the feedback we received, such as the importance of safe e-scooters and reliable geofencing, was expected, some of what we heard was less predictable:
Community Board Members Love E-Scooters
Going into it, I had a few misconceptions, namely that New Yorkers would be skeptical about scooters, especially Community Board Members, who, as conventional wisdom dictates, are all about cars, driving, and parking. I was wrong. Transit cuts and pending carmageddon have made Community Board members excited about shared e-scooters coming to New York. They just want to make sure they are safe, and that they stay off sidewalks.
Universal Access is just as Important as Safety
We expected to have lots of discussions about pedestrian protection, rider education, and parking enforcement. But just as often, we heard questions about how everyone might gain access to the service. These conversations have already led to some new partnerships, from working with bodega owners, to bringing our LINK-Up discount program directly to New Yorkers who need it, to teaming with industry allies at Charge and Rio Mobility to push the envelope on accessible design.
Stability is More Important than Zipiness
Among scooter veterans and newbies alike, we found a clear preference for reliability and stability over acceleration. This was a departure from my conversations with riders in other cities who always asked about speed. Maybe New Yorkers have learned the hard way that vehicles have to be strong to stand up to our tough streets. It was common for riders to refer to the LINK Scooter as a “tank” and a “scooter version of Citibike,” with one rider saying, “it’s like riding a sturdy work boot!” Indeed, compared to other scooters, the LINK Scooter has a much lower center of gravity and higher weight capacity, enabling it to roll over street defects that would jostle weaker scooters.
In sum, New Yorkers know that keeping the city moving in 2021 and beyond is going to require the rapid arrival of new modes. As urgent as this demand is, they do not want to sacrifice the values New Yorkers hold dear: public safety, social inclusion, and respect for the vulnerable pedestrians who are already struggling to navigate our streets. LINK scooters offer a path forward without compromise — safe, inclusive transportation that compliment existing modes such as walking and public transit while expanding access to many.
