Saturday, March 01, 2025, 8:18PM |  29°
MENU
Advertisement
Spin scooters parked on Stanwix Street, Downtown, on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021.
1
MORE

Pittsburgh City Council one step closer to traffic regulations for scooters

Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh City Council one step closer to traffic regulations for scooters

Littered on sidewalks. Taking up “valuable parking spots.” Safety hazards for riders and drivers. Those were just a few of the concerns Pittsburgh City Council members expressed Wednesday about scooters when considering traffic regulations for the low-speed electric devices that have been on the city’s streets since mid-summer.

Members gave near unanimous support to a proposed ordinance that would regulate speed and other road rules for the ubiquitous bright orange-and-black Spin scooters on which users have clocked 156,000 trips and over 228,000 miles since July 9, according to Karina Ricks, director of the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure.

The ordinance would amend city code to mandate that users are at least 18 years old, travel no faster than 15 mph, ride only on streets with a maximum posted speed of 25 mph, and ride in designated bike and pedestrian lanes when possible — rules that the administration says have been in effect since Mayor Bill Peduto signed an executive order on July 20.

Advertisement

Council members say they’ve received numerous complaints about usage on busy streets and scooters parked illegally.

Spin scooter charging station on Forbes Avenue, Downtown, on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021.
Ashley Murray
Pittsburgh City Council to consider traffic rules for electric scooters, which have generated hundreds of complaints

For nearly an hour, the standing committee peppered Ms. Ricks with questions about where scooters are restricted, worries about potential crashes and access in topographically challenging neighborhoods, and debate over whether riders are using the scooters for recreation rather than commuting. Several referenced a widely seen video of a rider in the Liberty Tunnels.

“I don’t want to be an obstructionist for what is ultimately proving to be a necessary addition to alternative means of mobility, especially for younger people. But I do stress safety as a top priority,” said Councilman Bruce Kraus. “... You cannot ride them through the Liberty Tunnels. You can’t go across the Liberty Bridge with them. And God forbid, I’m getting calls from people in Oakland where people are actually carrying their newborns and riding on scooters. You have to use common sense for God’s sake, please.”

The administration maintains that the scooter pilot program benefits the one in five city residents who do not own cars.

Advertisement

“We really want to promote these other opportunities. There is a deep equity concern that drives us in this. Many [without vehicles] live in places that don’t have the level of transit frequency that this city once enjoyed,” Ms. Ricks said. “... The trip through the Liberty Tunnel was distressing for the safety considerations, but it’s also distressing to think about the level of desperation that somebody must have in taking such a dangerous trip.”

Ms. Ricks said the device’s electric motors automatically shut down on high-speed or high-traffic areas. She also noted that Spin employees ride around the city in eight company vans multiple times a week to collect illegally parked scooters and to redistribute the devices to the city’s low-income neighborhoods.

All members voted in favor of the traffic regulations for the scooters with the exception of Council President Theresa Kail-Smith who said she wanted to review any agreements between the city and the San Francisco-based scooter company.

Council will take a final vote Tuesday.

Spin scooter charging station on Forbes Avenue, Downtown, on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021.
Lacretia Wimbley
Scooter Craze: Spin pilot program seeing growth in Pittsburgh and in complaints

Ashley Murray: amurray@post-gazette.com 

 

 

 

 

First Published: September 15, 2021, 6:57 p.m.

RELATED
New Pittsburgh Pirate Ka’ai Tom of Oahu, Hawaii, and Brittany Jean of Brooklyn, N.Y., cross the Roberto Clemente Bridge aboard Spin scooters on Tuesday.
Hannah Wyman
New e-scooter pilot program makes it easier to take a Spin in Pittsburgh
SHOW COMMENTS (1)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard (18) throws a pass over Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher (28) during the second half in the quarterfinals of the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif.
1
sports
Regardless of starter, Steelers poring over NFL combine for potential late-round QB
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) reacts near teammate linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) after sacking Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Baltimore.
2
sports
Steelers position analysis: T.J. Watt open to changing his role, but the Steelers have to help him
President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington.
3
news
VP Vance attacks last year's Pa. visit by Zelenskyy in contentious White House meeting
Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) against West Virginia in the first half during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz.
4
sports
Steelers NFL draft big board: Best fits at wide receiver
Law enforcement respond to the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
5
news
UPMC hospital shooting puts focus on violence health care workers see 'at an increased rate'
Spin scooters parked on Stanwix Street, Downtown, on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021.  (Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST local
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story