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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

opinion oped

EDITORIAL: IU, Bloomington need to be clear about e-scooter policies

The University, Bloomington need to be clear about e-scooter policies

The Indiana Daily Student recently reported that a 20-year-old IU student was in serious condition Saturday after he crashed an electric rideshare scooter and hit his head.

As you probably guessed, the man was not wearing a helmet. According to police, this was “the first serious scooter case reported to IUPD,” just one month after Bird and Lime launched their controversial scooters in Bloomington.

The scooters were deployed with little to no warning, and few regulations have been imposed on them since that time. As a result, users are still getting used to operating them, but the rules to follow remain unclear. 

Can I ride on the sidewalk? Can I ride on the street? Do I follow traffic signals? Many of us still don’t know.

While the incident mentioned resulted only in injury, other cities have already experienced deaths associated with e-scooters, including Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City

If we want to preempt a similar tragedy in our own city, we have to make the rules for use crystal clear.

When scooter accidents on campus occur, we should not necessarily blame the scooters themselves but look to the users of those scooters. 

Think of all the times people have attempted tricks, weaved through crowds, run red lights or ridden two at a time. It is up to the people who use scooters to ensure that they are being safe as best as they can.

Bloomington does not yet have an ordinance for e-scooters, but the city has listed a number of guidelines, and if you ignore them, you may be fined. 

Among these: “Yield right-of-way to pedestrians,” “Riders using scooters in the street must obey the rules of the road” and, inevitably, “Helmet use is strongly recommended.”

Of course, since most people ride their scooters without regard for safety, it seems that not a lot of us are aware of the details of these guidelines, or even that they exist.

IU can step in by spreading the word on what Bloomington’s e-scooter guidelines are through flyers, websites, social media, etc. The University should make scooter rules clear so that people don’t put themselves or others at risk.

The Bloomington City Council is working on passing an ordinance which will essentially establish a relationship between the scooter companies, Bird and Lime, and the people in the city riding them.

Until the ordinance is complete, city departments have been working on interim operating agreements with the companies.  These agreements would hold the scooter companies responsible for injuries from reckless accidents on the scooters.  

This is a great start to accommodating the public desire for the scooters, but there is still more to be done. Not only should the city work to ensure responsibility from the private companies themselves, but there is a need for clarity to the people.

City spokeswoman Yael Ksander said “This is a situation where technology is outpacing legislation.”

Even is this is true, it is the responsibility of the city and the University to catch up to what the people want and what they are doing.  Being clear is the first step.

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