Note: GJEL Accident Attorneys regularly sponsors coverage on Streetsblog San Francisco and Streetsblog California. Unless noted in the story, GJEL Accident Attorneys is not consulted for the content or editorial direction of the sponsored content.
Earlier this month the SFMTA's permit program for scooter shares went into effect, effectively banning Bird, Spin and Lime scooters from the city until and unless the companies get permits. But once they do, what happens if the companies don't or can't follow the new regulations, and scooters continue to be placed illegally on the sidewalk? The SFMTA has decided to set fines as much as $500 per violation.
Penalties against e-scooter companies will be hiked from $100 to $500 for violating provisions of the permit program, after a unanimous vote by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors on Tuesday. Those violations include scooters “parked in a manner inconsistent with the permit.”
The fine (details here) would be charged to the scooter company, not the end user, clarified Chairwoman Cheryl Brinkman at yesterday's meeting. And while that may be a relief to scooter fans, it means scooter companies will have the fines upped to $500 on the third violation among its entire fleet. SFMTA director Ed Reiskin said the fees were set high so that they are not "...seen as a cost of doing business for a scofflaw company."
The reaction from the pro-scooter camp wasn't subtle:
Munroe, who identifies himself as an advocate for alternative transportation, also posted this photo of a truck parked in a San Francisco bike lane to nail home the point:
Photo: from Dale Munroe's twitter feed
"They're so keenly aware of the minuscule fine for blocking bike lanes that one driver I talked to told me he intentionally parked in the bike lane away from the hydrant because a hydrant fine is like $500 vs. $100 for bike lanes," wrote Munroe about the above photo.
The scooter fine increase was voted on with little notification, leading scooter advocates to cry foul. Only one was present at yesterday's SFMTA board meeting to comment on the vote. Streetsblog reached out to Lime and Spin and received no reply about the fines. Bird wrote that it officially has "no comment," at least for now.
Without retreading the question of whether a permit process is necessary (if that's possible) where do you stand on the fines? Are they too high? Or is this just a sign that fines for violations by cars and trucks are just way too low? Post your opinions below.
L.A. County needs to embrace physically-protected bikeways, robust traffic calming around schools, and similarly transformative, safety-focused projects
Caltrans, we need complete streets everywhere, including at freeway interchanges (or maybe especially there); Public agencies and academics join forces to develop AV standards; Republicans really want to suspend the gas tax; More