Electric Scooters In Brookline Saved 50K Car Trips: Lime

BROOKLINE, MA — Lime recently surveyed 173 scooter riders. Some 90 percent told them they thought the scooters should stay in town as the pilot came to a close in Brookline. And the survcey indicated thanks to the scooters in town for the past seven months, it saved a lot of car trips.

There are three companies offering electric scooter rides around town. And with some 150,000 scooter rides across all three companies since April, it appears electric scooters have become popular options for first-and-last mile transportation around town.

Lime said the survey shows how scooters have reduced riders’ reliance on cars, calculating that rides on their scooters alone replaced what would otherwise have been about 50,000 car trips . (see below)

“In the last six months, Lime’s e-scooter program proved to be extremely popular, especially among Brookline residents and commuters,” Scott Mullen,of Lime, said in a statement. “Brookline kicked off this innovative pilot to provide affordable and reliable mobility options, and along the way, the Town began addressing the need for new transportation infrastructure like micromobility parking spots and bike lanes."

Other key findings of the survey:

• 30.8 percent of riders used a Lime scooter in place of a car (personally owned, taxi, or ride-hailing).
• 47.5 percent of riders used Lime to get to or from public transit within the last month.
• 73 percent of riders live in households that have access to one or fewer cars.

Some 74 percent reported they live, work, or go to school in Brookline. Of the roadblocks to using a scooter in town, more than half said they wanted to ride a Lime scooter, but there were none near them at least once.

About 21 percent of riders said they couldn't take a ride because there wasn't bike lane infrastructure where they were. And about a quarter of those who responded said they would ride the scooters more often, but there are certain times of day when the scooters were not available.

The pilot program started with e-scooter company Lime and Bird, then added Spin, a third company in August. The pilot will run into November.

A number of residents have bemoaned rule-breaking by the scooter riders, including children using them, although you must be 18 to ride them. People opposed to the scooters also say they've seen multiple people riding on the side walk or without helmets, which is also against the regulations. Others complain that some people leave scooters in the middle of, rather than to the side of, the sidewalk, thereby making it difficult for pedestrians in some spots.

Transportation Director Todd Kirrane told the Select Board earlier this year that he took several recommendations for the program based on feedback his office received from the public, including implementing more enforcement of rules by having the police department hire a full time bike/e-scooter enforcement and education officer.

Next month at the Brookline Town Meeting, the legislative branch of town government is set discuss E-Scooters and other micromobility devices in a set of resolutions.

This first resolution, brought forward by Town Meeting Member from Ward 1 Paul Warren, seeks to postpone additional piloting or the permanent deployment of E-scooters and other micro-mobility devices in Brookline until the State legislature updates and clarifies its existing laws and until the Brookline Transportation Board holds public hearings and develops rules and regulations to govern the use of such devices in Brookline.

The second urges Brookline's MA legislative delegation to work with the State Legislature to
ensure that, in any legislation involving E-Scooters and other micro-mobility devices, Brookline
retains local control to regulate its sidewalks with respect to the use and operation of such devices.

The town has its own survey, too. The idea is that its survey will help the Select Board, Transportation Board, and town staff determine if they should keep the scooters. The survey takes about 10 minutes and is anonymous, according to the town: Here's the link to the survey.

Previously:

• Brookline's Electric Scooter Pilot Usage At 6 Months
• Electric Scooter Pilot To Include Another Company
• Electric Scooter Pilot To Start In Brookline
• Rider Injured As E-Scooters Launch In Massachusetts
• E-scooter diary: Brookline should set the standard for safety
• As Complaints Mount, Scooter Lessons At Coolidge Corner
• Coming Soon: Parking Spaces For Brookline's Electric ..

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).