Queens residents, officials demand pause to e-scooter program
Queens residents push back against e-scooters
Queens residents are speaking out against the city’s e-scooter share program, claiming that the scooters are being left haphazardly on streets and sidewalks, endangering the safety of pedestrians, seniors, and the disabled. FOX 5's Jessica Formoso has the story.
QUEENS - Residents in Queens say they are fed up with the city’s e-scooter share program, which they say has caused safety concerns since its launch in June.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) introduced the program in collaboration with private e-scooter companies Bird, Lime, and Veo, but complaints have poured in from local residents who claim the scooters are being abandoned in unsafe locations.
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City Council speaker Adrienne Adams says that they have received multiple complaints from seniors and the disabled community, saying that the entire rollout has been disorganized from the start.
"There should have been an organized rollout, instead of the dysfunction that we've had, the numerous complaints that we've had, the presentation to our community boards saying ‘take it or leave it, this is what it is,’ we don't accept that," Adams said.
Now, Adams is urging City Hall to pause the program.
"Let's go to the table and let's work this out together," Adams said.
The DOT established designated parking spots for e-scooters in some areas, including Jamaica, Queens, but residents argue the system isn’t working as intended.
In a statement, Lime's Senior Manager of Government Relations said: "Lime is committed to working with elected officials in eastern Queens and the communities they represent in order to fine tune the e-scooter program. It’s clear from the massive ridership we’ve seen that a pause would negatively impact tens of thousands of Queens residents. We certainly hear the Speaker’s concerns, which is why we’re in the process of expanding our staff and implementing fixes to improve parking. Given how much Queens residents are voting with their rides in support of this program, we believe the best path forward is to work together rather than completely take it away from our neighbors who have already come to rely on shared e-scooters as a safe, affordable, and sustainable transportation option in parts of the city that desperately need more ways to get around, not fewer."
FOX 5 reached out to the Department of Transportation for comment, but as of now, there has been no response.