The Next Sequel in the Story of Scooters in San Diego

Maybe you have noticed it in and around San Diego lately.

The "e-scooters" are back. After a two-year slowdown during the shutdowns, and the pandemic winding down, the number of the electric motorized scooters is speeding up.

And apparently the members of the San Diego City Council have noticed. The council’s Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week unanimously approved a proposal to crackdown and tighten regulations for the e-scooters.

The plan includes rules about riding on sidewalks, rules against staging scooter in big bunches and a ban on parking scooters anywhere except in city-designated and painted corrals.

The proposal also would reduce the number of scooter companies and raise the fees they pay. It also would require that the companies respond to complaints about scooters being parked where they are not supposed to be within an hour. And the plan includes the growing number of e-bikes that you see more of now, too.

With the committee’s action, the proposal to crackdown on scooters now will go to the full city council for a vote in the coming weeks or months. And it won’t be a surprise if the full city council approves the plan.

When the e-scooters first came to San Diego just a few years ago, they swarmed the community and spawned lots of complaints and led to crashes, some very bad. So get ready for the next revised chapter in the story of scooters in San Diego.

(Photo Getty Images)