Hundreds of electric scooters may soon be heading to Downtown Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Orlando City Hall is drafting a new ordinance to pave the way for electric rideshare scooters. The scooters would be allowed on most sidewalks and roads, but there is a mixed response from the community about the plan.
"This is the City Beautiful, we don't want to clutter it with all that metal," said Jeremey Crumbliss, Orlando resident.
"They're fun but if they aren't monitored and things like that, there's gonna be a lot of injuries," said Allison Reddick, Orlando resident.
Multiple cities across the country have banned the devices over safety concerns, something Orlando leaders took into consideration.
"We were very concerned and the other thing that we realized is that there is definitely a mobility benefit to this, and so we just wanted to make sure we took the time to tailor the ordinance to address the concerns we had seen nationally," said F.J. Flynn, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, City of Orlando.
The city's ordinance addresses safety, Flynn says, by restricting the speed limit on the scooters. The scooter companies will have to limit the device's capability to 10 miles per hour.
"We're also requiring each vendor to conduct a minimum of six safety classes, so people can come in and learn the rules of the road, how to ride, what to do, what not to do," said Flynn.
The ordinance also addresses the scooter's being left in unwanted or unsafe areas, like the middle of sidewalks or roads.
"There will be a phone number on the vehicle itself and so the resident can contact the vendor directly or contact the city," said Flynn, "and then the vendor has two hours to basically move the device."
"Keep the city beautiful! People can walk, it's not a big downtown," said Crumbliss.
Others welcome the new transportation option.
"Orlando is a place where everybody is coming, a lot of tourists, I was just thinking about that on the bike that scooters is gonna be a good idea," said Jose Emerick, Orlando resident.
The ordinance is just a draft now and will go before City Council in October. If approved, the first scooters could arrive as early as November. This is a one-year pilot program, so if the scooters don't work out, the city could do away with them.