Motorized scooters coming back to the streets of Dallas?

The Dallas Morning News reported that the City of Dallas is going to vote on whether to allow motorized scooters back on the streets of Dallas.  For those that remember when scooters arrived in Dallas in 2018 until their demise in 2020, lots of city street corners were littered with scooters laying on sidewalks or abandoned in other areas.  That is not to mention the rise in accidents involving people riding the scooters.

Under the new proposal, scooters will be equipped with geofencing, which scooter providers can use to slow scooters down or shut them off in restricted areas.  Riders will also have to take a picture of their scooter after the ride to show it was parked correctly or face a fine of $20.00.  The proposal also caps the number of scooter vendors at three and restricts their fleet to 500 in the beginning. 

A major problem with scooters is the injuries to riders.  Most riders do not wear helmets and given Dallas’ infrastructure (sidewalks/roadways), it can make riding a scooter challenging.   That is not to mention the accidents involving scooters and other vehicles.  If the City of Dallas approves the proposal, motorized scooters could be back on the streets of Dallas by October.