IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SCOOTER SUBCOMMITTEE UPDATE:
- Denver City Council passes scooter legislation unanimously
- Scooter signage still needs to improve
- Rider Education Efforts Evolve
- Things we’d like to see change
Denver City Council Unanimously Approves New Scooter Legislation: Downtown Denver’s City Councilman Chris Hinds managed to accumulate 100% support for his new scooter legislation. The new rules are intended to (1) reduce the scooter litter on our sidewalks (by requiring users to park in designated marked-off areas, a.k.a. scooter corrals), and (2) reduce or eliminate the use of scooters on our downtown sidewalks. For the corral-parking requirement to be effective, downtown needs more scooter corrals, which is something that the scooter companies and the city are working on installing. To reduce or eliminate the riding of scooters on sidewalks, the scooter companies will deploy “sidewalk detection” technology, which, if it works, will detect the sidewalk, then warn the user, then perhaps reduce the scooter’s speed. Multiple offenses could lead the user eventually being suspended from the scooter company’s programs. Both of these solutions are currently being tested in pilot programs downtown, before being rolled-out citywide. You can read all about the new legislation HERE. If you’re wondering why the new legislation doesn’t outlaw riding scooters on the sidewalks, it’s because Denver City Council passed that law six years ago, but riders are unaware because Denver has never provided effective rider education and because Denver has never installed accurate and effective signage.
Are these new rules going to fix Downtown Denver’s scooter problem? It’s too soon to know – the legislation goes into effect this time next year. So, if you’re jonesing for relief on our sidewalks, you’ll have to be patient. It’s going to take a big rider-education effort downtown, so UpDoNA has offered to assist the city in that endeavor. Stay tuned for ways to contribute!
While the new scooter legislation has passed, UpDoNA is continuing our efforts to improve pedestrian safety in the downtown district through the reduction of scooter rider-pedestrian conflicts and sidewalk scooter clutter. The subcommittee receives regular updates from Nathan Pope of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) regarding the development of the new request for proposals (RFP) currently being drafted. We have offered suggestions regarding items we would like included in the RFP. DOTI will distribute the RFPs to interested micromobility companies to provide their proposals for the next license agreements for scooters and e-bikes in Denver. These agreements will start in May 2026 and, in addition to the terms of the license agreements, the selected companies will be required to comply with the new legislation.
Scooter Signage Still Needs to Improve We continue to encourage DOTI to correct signage on bicycle lanes that imply that only bicycles can use the lanes. We believe that simple changes such as adding scooter symbols to bike lanes and modifying the existing “BIKES ONLY” signs will be crucial for everyone’s safety once sidewalk detection technology is added to the scooters. The subcommittee will present our concerns regarding the need for improved signage to DOTI’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee in July during their public comment period.
Rider Education Efforts Evolve Because there is no enforcement of the laws prohibiting scooters on our sidewalks, UpDoNA continues to develop educational materials for scooter riders. Here’s our latest effort at getting the message out there:
This new PSA will be running on the billboards at Spire this Summer and hopefully on other billboards around the downtown area. If you have contacts at any of the billboard vendors, please email David Kurth at David_Kurth@msn.com. View the video version of the new PSA HERE.
Denver (DOTI) is also developing new educational materials. Here’s a draft version of cards that Denver hopes to distribute at the downtown hotels – they’re approximately the size of a hotel room key card.
SCOOTER TIDBITS:
- Denver has the highest number of scooter users of any city in the U.S., which might explain why we’ve lost control of our sidewalks in Downtown Denver
- Denver offers so many free scooter trips to low income / needs-based riders, that during low-usage months, 50% or so of all rides are free rides
- A reminder that Denver conducted a scooter-usage survey and posted the results HERE
- The new legislation passed by the Denver City Council, effective next summer, will dovetail with the upcoming new scooter vendor contracts, slated for May 2026
- DOTI still has not fixed the Bike Lane signs and there’s apparently no hope in sight that the signs will be revised to indicate that scooters also belong in the bike lanes
THINGS WE’D LIKE TO SEE CHANGE
The next meeting of UpDoNA’s Scooter Subcommittee will be held August 5, 2025 meeting at Olive & Finch on 14th Street at the DCPA. Reach out to David Kurth if you want to be added to the mailing list. David_Kurth@msn.com.
Thumbnail attribution: David Kurth
