Electric Scooters Not Allowed on Sidewalks in Denver Anymore

In 2018, scooter companies like LimeBike and Bird infiltrated Denver with hundreds of scooters. These scooters posed quite a problem for Denver officials, who were forced to halt scooter operations in the city while they worked on improving regulations. Without adequate scooter regulations in place, electric scooter riders were weaving through traffic, whipping past pedestrians on the sidewalk, and even leaving their scooters in random places that blocked traffic. Two months later, the city gave the green light for these electric scooters to operate – with new regulations and laws in place. But in 2019, it appears that lawmakers have made electric scooters not allowed on sidewalks in Denver anymore.

In July 2018, the electric scooter permits for Bird, Lime, and three other dockless scooter companies were approved as part of the city’s new Dockless Mobility Pilot Permit Program. Over the following months, more than 1,750 electric scooters and 1,000 electric bicycles were brought to the city for Denverites to use. However, Denver scooter riders had to follow rules and guidelines when riding them. Some of those rules and guidelines included:

• All electric scooters required to be ridden on sidewalks
• Electric scooters not allowed in bike lanes or on roadways
• Scooter rides must yield to pedestrians at all times
• Scooters must be parked in an upright position adjacent to bike racks at RTD bus stops only
• Parked scooters must not impede pedestrian flow
• Scooters are not allowed to be parked anywhere else besides bus stops

Denver Reverses Rules About Scooters on Sidewalks

Having scooters on the sidewalks posed to be a bit more dangerous than Denver city officials originally believed. In January 2019, Denver City Council passed new rules for scooter riders to help get them off the sidewalks and avoid injury crashes with pedestrians. The new rules include:

• Scooters are only allowed to ride on the sidewalk if a bike lane or roadway under 30 mph is not available
• Scooter riders must keep their speed below 6 mph when riding on a sidewalk
• Scooter riders must always yield to pedestrians

To ensure that all riders comply with these new rules and regulations, scooter companies are partnering with organizations like BikeDenver and Bicycle Colorado to provide information to scooter users. They’re also putting information in the app that scooter riders must use when activating their scooter. Bird scooters provides an in-app tutorial for all users, outlining how to safely ride scooters and how to park them.

Contact Our Denver Scooter Accident Lawyers

If you or someone you love has been injured in a scooter, pedestrian, or bicycle accident in Denver, we can help. Our Denver scooter accident lawyers will fight aggressively for your rights to obtain full and complete compensation after an injury accident. We know that insurance companies often try and shift the blame after these accidents, to reduce their own liabilities. That’s why we work tirelessly for our injured clients. Contact Gregory A. Gold of the Gold Law Firm today for a free consultation at (303) 694-4653.