Wednesday, San Antonio City Council will hold its "public hearing" session on proposed regulations for dockless vehicles, also known as scooters. It brings the city one step closer to having rules in place for the devices.
"We’re working with the companies, we’re working with the community so we can make this work," said District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino. "We don’t want it to be a deterrent to people coming in and bringing in some disruptive ideas to San Antonio, but we do want to acknowledge that our number one concern here in San Antonio is public safety and we want to make sure the systems that come into San Antonio fit into our existing systems."
The City of San Antonio surveyed citizens, studied other cities' programs and crunched data for months to form rules that fit San Antonio. Based on their findings, rules will likely include an age limit allowing scootering for ages 16 and up, with helmets encouraged but not required. People could scoot on roads 35 miles per hour or slower. Scooting on sidewalks would not be allowed and people must follow traffic laws and use bike lanes when possible.
Parking would be allowed on sidewalks if there are three feet clear. Riders would need to park set distances away from bus stops and entrances to buildings, and blocking entryways would not be allowed. Scooting at the Alamo and in other parks and plazas would still be off limits.
"We need to be thoughtful exactly how they go about using those scooters as well as, when they’re not using them, that they’re not interfering with other modes of transportation," Trevino said. "People who use sidewalks, or need to use a handicap accessible ramp or entrance, that the scooter's not blocking that area."
Interested citizens have had several chances to weigh in at public meetings and through an online survey. There will be another chance at the public hearing at 6 p.m. in city council chambers on Wednesday, September 12. City Council's Transportation Committee is set to review recommendations on Monday, September 17, with final council review on Thursday, October 4. Regulations could take effect shortly afterward.