Councilman Wants Ban on Scooters in Los Angeles

Councilman Paul Koretz said Tuesday that the Bird and Lime scooters that have been annoying people throughout the county should be completely banned. 

Koretz wants city officials to take “all available measures” to ban the scooters in L.A. and instructs transportation officials to issue cease-and-desist letters to any company offering scooters for hire.

If the ban gets approved, each scooter company could secure the right to operate in Los Angeles by obtaining a permit.

The current proposal for the ban would initially limit each company to 5,000 scooters in L.A.: up to 2,500 anywhere in the city, and an additional 2,500 in economically disadvantaged areas.

The scooters were temporarily banned in Beverly Hills and most recently banned in Newport Beach.

Koretz is most concerned for the safety of the scooter riders because he has seen "hundreds of people on scooters riding on the sidewalk near his home without helmets or with another person on board." The risk of lawsuits against the city if a rider was injured weighs heavy in his mind. 

“If people wind up getting injured because of our lack of regulation, that’s on us, to some degree,” Koretz said. “They’re private companies, but they’re making use of the public right of way.”

From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day the companies would have two hours to repair, remove or relocate any scooters that were broken or parked incorrectly. After 10 p.m. the scooters could be impounded by the Bureau of Sanitation.

David Estrada, Bird’s chief legal officer, said the company “will continue to work closely with policymakers to address safety concerns” as the city develops an “appropriate regulatory framework.”

Lime spokeswoman Mary Caroline Pruitt said the company supports “regulations that prioritize rider safety, while allowing Lime to continue to serve the community.”

Photo: Getty Images