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Councilman worried about dockless scooter safety: 'Someone will die'

By Joe Bruno, wsoctv.com and Gina Esposito, wsoctv.com
By Joe Bruno, wsoctv.com and Gina Esposito, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte city councilman is voicing his concern about the lack of rules for dockless scooters around uptown.

"Someone will die on an e-scooter before the end of this calendar year,” City Councilman Larken Egleston said Monday night.

He wants rules for the popular scooters in place, quickly.

City officials said there were more than 100,000 trips on the scooters in July, which adds up to more than 139,000 miles of travel.

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The scooters, and the dockless bikes, are operating under a pilot program that ends in October.

Egleston wants stricter rules and regulations in place before they are allowed to permanently exist on Charlotte's streets.

Egleston said he saw two people on scooters on Interstate 277 Friday. He couldn't find anything that says they aren't allowed to do that.

“It was, like, I am going to see these people die right in front of me,” Egleston said.

The council could take the issue up in a committee or at a full meeting.

Councilman Justin Harlow agrees that it is critical because it’s unclear who is responsible if something goes wrong.

“We are probably going to be liable if something happens and it is fatal,” Harlow said.

One example of something that could be done might be passing ordinances keeping scooters off of sidewalks or off streets with a certain speed limit.

A helmet rule could also be a possibility, but council members admit it may be hard to enforce.

There have already been accidents involving the scooters.

Last Friday, police say a woman on a scooter was hurt after a crash involving a car in Dilworth.

The woman did not need to go to the hospital.

It is not clear who was at fault.

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