Electric scooters may now be officially coming to many areas of Los Angeles County, the NBC4 I-Team can report.
After electronic scooter seemingly arrived unannounced overnight, the county conducted a review. Now, one supervisor is expected to ask for a temporary complete cessation of e-scooters as new rules are created.
Electric scooters have been a source of efficient transportation and a cause for concern for law enforcement, businesses and government officials now trying to regulate and keep everyone safe since they suddenly appeared and began dominating roads and sidewalks.
"We just want to put some order into this," LA County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger says. "I am all about free markets."
Barger stepped in when, she says, e-scooters showed up with no warning in Altadena and East Pasadena.
The supervisor tells the I-Team that she is calling for a temporary halt as the county develops a new pilot program that will bring e-scooters and bikes to unincorporated areas, which accounts for more than 65 percent of the county.
She says the plan will have taxpayers in mind, in terms of safety and their wallets.
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"The taxpayers pay, that is who pays, when we get sued, so i want to make sure we put an ordinance in place that also protects the taxpayer," Barger says.
The proposal follows a report showing what other cities within in the county have been doing to regulate e-scooters. Alhambra has a formal ban on them within its city boundaries, but nearby Pasadena created a voluntary "no ride zone." In Santa Monica and the city of LA, e-scooters are welcome through a temporary and pilot program that hands out permits to companies and caps the amount of scooters in each city.
E-scooters are still not allowed on sidewalks, and the maximum speed under state law is now 15 miles per hour.
Also, as of this month, only those 18 and under need to wear a helmet when riding an e-scooter. However, most of the scooter companies require a minimum age of 18 and a valid driver's license to hop on the eco-friendly transportation devices.
A vote on the proposal is expected at next week's board meeting, and then, the plan itself will be presented in 45 days.
