Looks like the battle over the boardwalks is far from over.
A majority of the San Diego City Council decided last month not to ban motorized scooters from the boardwalks from Mission Beach to La Jolla.
But now the emotional story this week from the father who’s a firefighter has revved up the debate over these motorized scooters that have become so popular in San Diego this year.
His 11 year old daughter and his ex-wife were very seriously injured the other day when they lost control of their rented scooter while trying to weave through pedestrians on the Mission Beach boardwalk.
With the three council members who last month lost the fight for a ban on the scooters on the boardwalks, they have now renewed their efforts. And there are a lot of people who agree with them.
These are the people who have had close calls with the motorized scooters, either as riders or pedestrians. If you’ve been on one of the boardwalks lately, you’ve probably seen the problem.
It is was already a mix of pedestrians, joggers and bicycles, but when the motorized scooters came along, supporters of the ban say it made things dangerous. And that’s why that firefighter father told his story to city officials.
And the danger from the powered scooters isn’t only on the boardwalks. You also see some riders weaving in and out of pedestrians downtown despite state laws that already ban the scooters on sidewalk.
That law doesn’t say anything about boardwalks but there is now pressure on the city council to say something.