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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, APRIL 1-7, 2022 BXR
BY ALIYA SCHNEIDER
East Bronxites are going to
see double this summer.
The e-scooter pilot program
didn’t zoom into the borough unnoticed
last summer, with a onemonth
late rollout and residents
flustered by the unfamiliar devices
that some felt were dumped
onto the borough. But others
praised the new opportunity to
sustainably navigate a transitstarved
borough, encouraging
community education and safety
enforcement in response to complaints
of improperly parked
scooters and riders breaking
traffic rules.
The two-part pilot, which was
authorized by the City Council in
June 2020, brought up to 3,000 escooters
to the northeast Bronx
in summer 2021 and will bring
as many as an additional 3,000
to the borough this summer. The
scooters are provided by three
companies: Lime, Bird and Veo.
As of March 24, the scooters
have been used more than
480,000 times in the first phase,
and as of early March, 950 riders
utilized discounted price
programs across 17,000 rides, according
to the NYC Department
of Transportation (DOT).
DOT announced on last
Thursday that the second phase,
coming to the southeast Bronx,
will launch in June, implementing
devices from Pelham Bay and
Country Club down to Throggs
Neck, and across to Soundview
and Parkchester.
While the pilot is limited to
two years from its August 2021
launch, the mayor’s office and
DOT did not answer whether the
program has a sunset date.
William Rivera, who chairs
Community Board 9, which represents
neighborhoods in the
western part of phase two, said
that while he has heard rumored
positives and negatives about the
program, he has more questions
than comments until DOT presents
to CB9 on April 7.
Matthew Cruz, who chairs
Community Board 10, which represents
various eastern neighborhoods
in phase two, urged
members of the public to attend
DOT’s April 13 presentation to
CB10 to see what lessons the
agency may have learned from
the pilot so far.
Cruz has heard concerns from
residents about improper scooter
parking in the middle of the sidewalk
and underage riders using
the scooters after their parents
activate the devices for them.
Riders must be at least 16-yearsold
and 16- and 17-year-old riders
must wear a helmet. As for parking,
scooters in phase one have
been allowed to park freely along
the sidewalk curb in certain areas
and must be parked in specific
marked locations in others.
Throggs Neck Business Improvement
District (BID) Executive
Director Bob Jaen said he
and BID Chair Anthony Basso
met with DOT representatives
to discuss how the project will
be presented to the community.
Jaen said he wants to ensure
there will be designated pickup
and drop-off locations for the
The east Bronx e-scooter pilot is expanding and doubling its fleet this summer.
Photo courtesy DOT
scooters.
“I want to hear what the city
is offering as far as how this project
is going to be brought to us,
what’s the protocol and the procedures
that come with it, because
we want to keep an open
mind,” Jaen said.
Councilmember Amanda
Farías, who represents neighborhoods
in the western part of
phase two, said in a DOT press release
that the e-scooter program
will help residents “move more
freely, and with more autonomy,”
and that the pilot will make getting
home from the Soundview
and Throggs Neck ferries more
“efficient, affordable and accessible”
for residents.
The three e-scooter companies
are required by the city to
hold in-person safety training
events.
The Bronx Times reached out
to the Westchester Square BID
for comment and is awaiting a
response.
E-scooter fleet to double this
summer, expand southward
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