Agenda Packet 2-26-20 Work Session

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February 26, 2020, Work Session – Item 2 EUGENE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Work Session: E-Scooters and Micromobility Meeting Date: February 26, 2020 Agenda Item Number: 2 Department: Public Works Engineering Staff Contact: Rob Inerfeld www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5343 ISSUE STATEMENT Through an adopted ordinance and plan, the City Council has set aggressive targets for reducing fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in our community. On July 27, 2016, the City Council adopted the Climate Recovery Ordinance that set Climate Action Goals that include reducing community-wide fossil fuel use by 50 percent compared to 2010 usage with a benchmark target of a 25 percent reduction by 2020. On June 26, 2017, the City Council adopted the Eugene 2035 Transportation system Plan. The TSP has a goal of supporting the city’s target of a 50 percent reduction in fossil fuel consumption and specifically calls for a tripling of the percentage of trips made on foot, by bicycle and by transit. Over the last few years electric scooters (e-scooters) and other micromobility devices have become popular ways for people to travel. While many people own personal e-scooters, these devices have become increasingly popular through the e-scooter share services that are offered in over 100 cities throughout the United States. In 2018 alone, people took more than 38 million trips using shared e-scooters. Surveys of e-scooter users have indicated that a significant number of riders use them as an alternative to traveling in a private passenger vehicle. While the potential to reduce the number of private passenger vehicle trips by implementing shared e-scooter services is promising, numerous concerns have been raised related to safety of e-scooter riders, interactions between riders and people walking or biking, impacts to sidewalk accessibility, and sustainability of the e-scooters themselves. BACKGROUND While the City Council has set aggressive targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles and tripling the percentage of trips made by walking, biking and public transportation, available data indicates that, as a community, we have not made progress toward achieving these goals. It has been demonstrated in other communities that a significant percentage of shared electric scooter rides are replacing trips previously made by motor vehicle. An electric scooter pilot program presents an opportunity to bring this new form of shared mobility to Eugene to help achieve our goals around active transportation and climate recovery in a way that is also safe and equitable for our community.