Burbank looks to set rules for rental electric scooters, bicycles
With pay-to-ride electric scooters and bicycles sprouting up in different cities across L.A. County, Burbank officials are looking to ensure that those services benefit the community rather than becoming a nuisance.
The transportation division of the Burbank Community Development Department held a community meeting on Thursday to present a proposed ordinance that would regulate shared-use mobility devices — the scooters and bicycles operated by companies such as Bird and Lime — within the city’s limits.
Nick Burant, an administrative analyst for the transportation division, said the prevalence of shared scooters and bicycles has been considerably growing and that the devices are inevitably going to appear in Burbank.
The scooters and bicycles have become a popular transportation alternative for short-distance trips of about 1 or 2 miles.
They are relatively cheaper than using a ride-sharing service for a short trip. Burant said some operators charge $1 to use an electric scooter and 15 cents per minute.
“We want to offer it as a transportation alternative, as a first-mile, last-mile solution,” Burant said. “We’ve got three major rail stations in the city, and we’re pretty close to the [Metro] Red Line station, and we hope to see these as a solution that people can use to come into the city or take from these regional transportation hubs to go to places throughout Burbank.”
At issue is users’ tendency to leave the scooters or bicycles on sidewalks and the pedestrian right-of-way.
Burant said city officials propose charging operators $20,000 annually to have their devices in Burbank. Additionally, the proposed ordinance would charge operators $300 per device annually.
The potential funds generated by the fees would go toward enforcement, administrative costs and infrastructure improvements, such as corrals for people to park their rented scooters or bicycles, Burant said.
He added that funds generated by Measure P, a city sales tax in which at least half of the funds are committed to infrastructure improvements, cannot be used for this program.
Burant said the city is looking to cap the total number of devices — scooters and bicycles — at 1,000. Each operator would only be allowed to bring a maximum of 200 devices into the city.
The proposed regulations outline where the devices should be parked and maintenance requirements for the devices. It also states the city can impound scooters and bicycles if they are found parked illegally.
Additionally, Burbank officials are looking to require that operators share their data with city officials so they can both determine where service and infrastructure can be improved.
The proposed ordinance is scheduled to be reviewed by the City Council in late next month.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
