LAKEWOOD, Ohio — After a pilot last year that lasted months, Lakewood city officials are still trying to decide whether e-bikes and e-scooters will have a more permanent place in the city this year.
In the second half of last year, Lakewood rolled out the pilot program, which included a limited number of e-bikes and e-scooters spread across a dozen sites around the city. Officials said at the time that the cap on the number of devices (90) was enough to provide valuable insight as to their popularity while also limiting any potential issues associated with the alternative transportation methods.
The city also sought public input via a community survey that was released in early 2023. However, city officials said this week that the future of the program remains under review.
The electronic bikes and scooters proved popular but not without some limited controversy, especially regarding where the device collection points were located. Residents remain split on the matter, too.
“With the current layout of the streets and everything, I think they are dangerous to ride on the sidewalks,” said resident Thomas Mysliwiec. “A lot of people ride them in the streets and they don’t follow the street traffic rules so they are dangerous for the people on the scooters when they’re on the street. If we had proper bike lanes, proper things for them to travel on, that’d be fine, but they are dangerous otherwise.”
Electronic bikes and scooters have proven popular in cities across the nation, including nearby Cleveland. Vendors like Bird and Spin tout the service as a vital way to fill the transportation gap of the ‘last mile’ of any given trip. The devices are also widely used in densely populated commercial and entertainment districts.
“If you’re leaving your job right now and you’re going to get lunch at Daves Cosmic Subs or you’re going to the supermarket, I think it’s the best way to [get around],” said Mirjan Hajdari.
According to city officials, Lakewood tallied more than 11,000 trips taken on electronic bikes or scooters during the pilot program, earning the city $0.15 per trip as part of a licensing agreement with the county. Although each scooter features warnings against riding it on the sidewalk, users often did so anyway, said Melissa McWilliams.
“Personally, I’ve had interactions. [My daughter] actually got knocked down by somebody [riding] on the sidewalk,” McWilliams said. “We were just walking and they decided to go as fast as possible and having fun. It’s a nuisance. As much as I like the idea, it’s too much. People are just not responsible as much as we want them to be.”
There is no timeline for when city officials expect to have a decision regarding the future of the scooter program.
