Philadelphia is looking to broaden its transportation horizons with the possible inclusion of electric scooters. At a city council meeting on Wednesday, representatives from three prominent dock-less scooter providers Lime, Bird and Spin made their case in front of the council in an effort to help bring the concept of electric scooters to the city of Philadelphia.
The addition to electric scooters to cities help provide reduced traffic and vehicle emissions in our air and also help to bring more transportation options to lower-income portions of cities. For daily commuters on popular eScooter sharing services, many riders are using eScooters instead of cars to get to work. Cities that have adopted eScooters successfully like Charlotte, NC have adopted concepts that help benefit their communities, such as requiring eScooter sharing services to put at least twenty percent of their fleet in low-income areas.
First, there's a few issues.
Though the city seems willing to attempt to bring eScooters to the area, this form of green commuting is still being met with a bit of push back. Most of the concerns from the community are concerning the aspect of eScooter safety, suggesting that larger numbers of eScooters on city streets may introduce new dangers to those on foot and those in cars.
First, Philadelphia may have a bigger hurdle to jump: In the state of Pennsylvania, it is currently illegal to use an electric scooter. The laws state that these vehicles are not allowed to be operated on a Pennsylvania roadway or sidewalk.
Did You Know....
That we made a list of the 5 Best Folding Electric Scooters for City Life?
If you want something that will eat the streets up, Dualtron makes some incredible eScooters as well. These scooters are made to handle anything you can throw at them, including uneven street paving and potholes. Want to learn more about some higher-end folding electric scooters? Check out our reviews of the Top 5 Fastest Folding Electric Scooters and there's a separate article about the best eScooters for City Life. Want to know how to find the perfect electric scooter for your daily needs? We wrote a buyer's guide that can help you determine the perfect eScooter for your needs and for your budget.
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