Since Lime electric rental scooters were first introduced in Hoboken in May, they have picked up popularity much faster than their maximum speed of 14.8 mph. Whether you have seen them being ridden along the water on Sinatra Drive or rented one yourself, the estimated 21,500 unique riders paying $1 to unlock a scooter and 29 cents per minute to zip through the city show that these are widely popular in the area (at least for tourists and students). However, there is one place that does not tolerate these scooters whatsoever, and that is the Stevens campus.
Lime scooters are strictly not allowed anywhere on campus, and Stevens is blacked out from the Lime app’s map entirely. Scooters will not work once they are parked on campus and, as this means that Lime will not make any money from these scooters, they are removed quickly. A student seen riding on campus will receive warnings, and eventually be reported to the Dean of Students. It may seem that these rules are strict and limiting student mobility, but electric scooters are a major safety concern on campus. Because of the high volume of pedestrians, and narrow walkways due to construction, it is a “safety risk” to allow scooters, according to Director of Traffic Demand Management Luke Hansen, and the school could be held liable if someone was injured in a scooter-related accident while on campus or passing through.
While the scooters may not be allowed on campus, they are still allowed in the rest of Hoboken, although this may not always be the case. For now, the City Council has voted against holding a referendum on whether the scooters should be legal on their November ballot. However, they are negotiating with Lime in hopes that they can get the company to help pay for efforts to keep riders and pedestrians safe, as, according to council members Tiffanie Fisher and Mike DeFusco, “it is clear that bringing them to our community has created serious public safety concerns and is straining city enforcement resources.”
As their large amount of riders may show, the scooters are not all bad. They allow people in 184 cities around the world to cheaply travel across town to jobs, school, and on errands. Stevens students can make money charging them, or even potentially be hired by Lime to pick up scooters left on campus at some point in the future. As freshman Connor Mills says, he uses Lime scooters often because he “is lazy and doesn’t have a car.” He says he uses them to go to the PATH station and CVS, as they are cheaper than calling an Uber, and easier than biking. He also added that he “thinks it is a good idea to not have them on campus,” but that “it is nearly impossible to ride one up any of the hills on to campus anyways.”
Be First to Comment