DENVER — Electric scooters hit the streets of Denver late last year, and this month, the city released data they've gathered about their usage.
Since the city's pilot program launched in August, there have been an average of 4,693 scooter rides per weekday, according to data from Denver Public Works over the last few months. That number is slightly higher for weekends.
There were 819,927 rides with 952,898 miles traveled.
Over a two-week period in January, more than 2,000 people responded to an online survey by Denver Public Works. Electric scooter users and non-users were asked about their experiences during the first six months of its Dockless Mobility Pilot Permit Program.
Sixty-three percent of respondents said they had been involved in a crash or near-miss with an electric scooter. About two-thirds had been hit or almost hit by a scooter while walking. Twenty percent reported they had been hit or almost hit by a scooter when driving.
The survey launched two weeks after Denver City Council passed an ordinance which moves electric scooter riders off the sidewalks and onto roads where the speed limit is 30 mph or less. On streets where the speed limit is greater than 30 mph and scooters are allowed on sidewalks, it reduces the speed at which users can ride to 6 mph or less to improve the feeling of safety for non-riders.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently launched its first-ever study of injuries related to scooters. The study is being done at the request of Austin, Texas city leaders. They'll work with Austin city leaders on analyzing 37 EMS calls and 68 injuries related to the dockless scooters that happened from September to November, according to KVUE.
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