In last night’s city council meeting, New Port Richey decided to hop on the e-scooter bandwagon, but with incredibly strict new rules.
According to Bay News 9, the restrictive scooter ordinance was passed in a 4-1 vote that allows the “vehicles” (is that what we’re calling them) to be rented from the company eCarve.
However, there are some regulations for would-be riders.
Since the council had some concerns about scooters being left in city streets and unattended by riders, those concerns were apparently solved with a rule that forces riders to return the scooters to just one location. The scooter company will be in charge of renting the scooters, and riders can only rent and return the scooters from the Get Outside store on Main St. in downtown New Port Richey.
Of course, this makes the scooters completely impractical for filling in the "missing mile."
Also, the scooters have a curfew and must be returned by 8:30 p.m., along with the safety helmets that will be provided for riders. Riders must also have liability insurance.
New Port Richey’s new scooter rules are in stark contrast to other ordinances passed in the Tampa Bay area. Tampa and St. Pete have similar programs, but in both cases there are several vendors that offer the scooters, the scooters can be returned at several different areas, or not at all, and helmets are also encouraged but not required in both cities, Plus, liability insurance is not necessary.
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This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 7, 2019.