Milwaukee council advances steep fine increase for sidewalk scooter riding
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Common Council committee on Thursday advanced a measure that would sharply increase the maximum fine for riding rental scooters on the sidewalk.
The Public Safety Committee took up two scooter-related proposals Thursday, approving the harsher sidewalk riding fines but setting aside a measure that would impose a new speed limit for scooters on downtown streets.
Under the proposal from Ald. Bob Bauman, the maximum fine for riding Lime scooters on city sidewalks would increase from $20 to $200. The minimum fine would increase from $10 to $20.
The measure passed the committee unanimously, although some council members signaled they'd want to hear from Lime representatives before moving forward with the full council vote on raising fine amounts.
The conversation about scooters stems from an incident earlier this month in which a man riding a scooter on a downtown sidewalk hit and severely injured the owner of LaCage nightclub. The 20-year-old rider has since been charged with a felony.
"If [sidewalk riding] can't be eliminated and this public safety threat continues, then we have to seriously question the viability of the scooter program at all," Bauman said.
Ald. Mark Chambers said he supported the fines but wanted more of the emphasis to be on enforcing the ordinance. Department of Public Works (DPW) officials cited police figures in saying officers issued one sidewalk riding citation last year and three such tickets so far this year.
"I'm indifferent on the fines," Chambers said. "I just think we need more enforcement and have the operator, which is Lime, to be more out in the community."
DPW Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke told the committee he wasn't opposed to harsher fines, but he also wanted the council to ensure scooters weren't regulated more harshly than reckless driving.
"We did have a tragic incident that had occurred, which is true, and we do not support sidewalk riding as a fact," Kruschke said. "But we've had nine people, pedestrians killed in vehicles. We've had another 179 people severely injured because of vehicles."
The other scooter measure would have placed a new speed limit of five miles per hour on scooters on high-volume downtown streets.
Solana Patterson-Ramos, a frequent scooter rider, said such a change would put riders at greater risk. She maintained it's much safer if scooter operators can move at speeds closer to that of the traffic moving past them.
"Going five miles per hour at night is not safe," she said. "Having it go five miles per hour next to a bus or in the street is going to cause more safety issues than less."
The committee tabled the proposal, which also came from Bauman. Chambers said after the hearing it was unlikely the council would take up the speed limit item.
Milwaukee already uses geofencing to have Lime cap the speeds of scooters in certain parts of the city.
Members of the committee expressed interest in giving the city the ability to fine Lime if riders constantly violate ordinances.
DPW officials said Lime reported issuing 4,991 fines to Milwaukee riders last year, and the company said it suspended or banned 450 riders.
"If they're not going to uphold their end of the contract or the bargain," Chambers said. "I do think we should have parameters in place where we hold them accountable."