Salem Watches, Waits On State Scooter Rules

SALEM, MA — Massachusetts lawmakers are considering legislation that would impose statewide rules that would regulate where and how electric scooters could be used. And in Salem, city officials are keeping close tabs on those debates. The city has an ongoing pilot program that makes the scooters available for rent in Salem and wraps up this spring.

"We see the draft rules as being largely in line with what we’ve tried to achieve here in Salem," said Dominick Pangallo, chief of staff to Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll. "We’ve limited speeds and set a minimum age threshold in a manner that’s aligned with the proposed regulations."

There are several proposals before state lawmakers. Those proposals include setting a minimum age for riders of 16 or 18, limiting speeds to 12 or 15 m.p.h. and require companies that rent the scooters to carry liability insurance and pay excise taxes. Most of the proposals would also allow local governments to set their own rules.

"We would want to ensure, though, that even with state regulations in place, cities and towns would still have the flexibility and authority to establish their own local regulations and requirements, both from an operational and a contract stand-point," Pangallo said.

Salem has been experimenting with the scooters and a year-round bike sharing program to reduce traffic and provide environmentally-friendly modes of transportation. Salem also implemented pop-up bike lanes this summer.

The programs have gotten mixed reviews. One of the biggest complaints has been riders can leave scooters wherever they finish their ride, leading to sidewalk clutter.

Salem partnered with Spin, a unit of Ford Motor Co., on its pilot e-scooter program. Spin has made about 250 of the scooters available for rent in Salem.