Bloomington, Indiana – Earlier this month, the city of Bloomington decided to ban late-night and early-morning e-scooter riding around the town. The decision, which for now is still defined as temporary, limits e-scooter usage from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. in the city of Bloomington.
While many local residents might find this decision illogical, there are two reasons behind: growing number of e-scooter incidents resulting in more frequent injuries and the recent student death on Indiana University’s campus.
With the latest city’s decision, scooters will no longer work during those off-hours. When city of Bloomington officials announced the latest e-scooter regulation, they explained that the regulation is temporary for now, a period in which they will continue to monitor the overall situation, especially when it comes to injuries caused by e-scooter-related incidents. If there is a positive impact and a declining number of e-scooter incidents are reported during this period, the temporary regulation might easily become permanent, officials further explained.
In many places nationwide, e-scooters’ popularity has declined over the years. However, e-scooters are still extremely popular among Bloomington residents as they find e-scooters convenient, fast, cheap, and, in most cases, reliable when it comes to moving around the town. E-scooter usage, however, comes at a cost, with a higher-than-usual number of traffic incidents prompting safety measures. But only a small number of e-scooter riders use protective gear.
With the aim of raising awareness about e-scooter safety, Lime representatives decided to hold three special events this week in Bloomington, partnering with the Indiana University Police Department. The popular e-scooter company held its first event on Tuesday, while another one took place today, Wednesday, and a third event is set to take place on Friday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Dunn Meadow, by the southeast corner of East Seventh Street and Indiana Avenue.
Described as a safety program, Lime representatives and officials with the Indiana University Police Department on Tuesday said that each of these events will be a great opportunity for e-scooter riders to learn how to properly behave in traffic and how to improve their safety while riding an e-scooter. In-person training and safety guidelines for e-scooter use are the main parts of these events. Lime representatives handed out 60 helmets to the public on Tuesday.
During this week, Lime will also use the company’s social media accounts, as well as more aggressive online advertising, to highlight the rules of the road and safe riding practices.
Those who missed Tuesday’s and today’s events are invited to attend Friday’s event and learn how to improve their safety while riding an e-scooter.
