Open Yik Yak on any given day at UConn and you’ll find the same complaint: students forced to dodge electric scooters like it’s a contact sport. Posts such as “so f*cking sick of these scooters man” and “I swear scooter users are having a competition to see how close they can get to me without actually running me over” are common complaints on the anonymous messaging platform. Just three weeks into our current school year, I have been nearly hit more times than I can count just walking to class. Sadly, my own experience is shared by many others. Something must be done by the administration to rein in scooters and protect our student body.
Why must students live in a state of constant vigilance when it comes to these scooters? After all, we are just trying to get to class. A quick glance at UConn Parking Services’ website tells us these problems should be easily avoidable. As it states, “the operation or parking of motorized vehicles on sidewalks, lawns, and within landscaped areas of campus is unlawful.” UConn’s policy further bans parking scooters at bike racks or on sidewalks. Breaking either rule is meant to incur the impoundment of the vehicle.
Yet these rules, which are meant to keep UConn walkable and safe, are almost entirely ignored. No scooters are stopped when speeding down the sidewalks, and a quick glance is enough to see that those left on bike racks are ignored by any enforcement.
The problem isn’t just with campus policy — it’s state law, too. Connecticut’s Public Act 19-162 declared that all e-scooters must follow the same rules as cyclists. Under this ruling, e-scooters are required to come to a full stop at intersections, stop signs and traffic lights.
Most importantly, e-scooters must also yield to all pedestrians. This makes e-scooter users’ current behaviors not only unsafe, but highly illegal. Furthermore, Connecticut has set a speed cap of 20 mph for e-scooters, no matter the time or place. Exceeding it should result in a ticket, and yet scooters are often seen breaking this limit even on sidewalks. A scooter outpacing a car on campus is not an uncommon sighting. Riding with headphones or earbuds in is also considered illegal as it impedes hearing, which puts others at risk. Despite this, both violations continue to be a common sight on campus.
The current way scooters are used at UConn is anything but reasonable. Regardless of both our state’s and university’s regulations on e-scooters, students are still stuck dodging them daily. The solution to this disconnect between policy and reality is simple: the university must back up its policy and enforce its laws. This means the impoundment of wayward scooters, and it also means holding e-scooter users financially accountable for their reckless behavior.
Studies have already shown ticketing to be highly effective at reducing traffic violations. Massachusetts’ Click it or Ticket campaign, for instance, reduced motor vehicle crashes by 11%. What’s more, ticket revenue from e-scooter violations would flow back into the university and its police department, giving them an implicit motivation to pursue what should be considered their job. UConn could also get a more direct stake by charging a fee for the retrieval of an impounded scooter. This would provide an added deterrent against reckless scooter use. A $50 retrieval fee would make anyone think twice about taking their scooters along Fairfield Way. This solution is no harsher than having to pay a $50 charge when locked out of a dorm. Only with these actions will the rules actually be recognized by e-scooter users. Only then will students be able to navigate walkways safely, without fear of reckless collision.
UConn has an obligation to protect its students from the dangers of reckless e-scooters. Already, it has a policy in place to do so, backed by state law. All that remains is for our administration is to act. Will UConn do the right thing and keep our pathways safe? Or will Yik Yak continue to be full of angry complaints about the perils of e-scooters? That is the question the university must answer.
I have a weekly radio show and podcast at WHUS.ORG and this subject comes up all of the time. I recieve constant complaints about bicycles, motorized or not and scooters, mostly motorized in areas of pedestrian traffic. Thank you for this article and addressing this issues. There are many complaints on line about this and not surprisingly many responses from law firms addressing if you have been injured by one of these vehicles. In the State of Connecticut it is illeagal to ride either of these on public sidewalks unless the town supports the idea, Mansfield is one of those towns. The feeling here @bicycletalk is if it has wheels it belongs on the roads not sidewalks. and if for some reason you must use the sidewalk it is PEDESTRIAN SPEED ONLY. It is time to convert the campus to limited motorized vehicles only to make the campus safe again. A head injury due to a collission can be life threatening and pedestrians do not wear helmets as the scooter and bicycle operators also endanger themselves by not doing the same. Time for Uconn to update it’s inner mobility policies and give the scoters and bicycles a safer way to travel.