June 6 panel discussion, Clear the [e-scooter] Clutter report

May 2019

June 6 panel discussion: The future of micro-mobility in Atlanta

Please join us for a lively panel discussion about e-scooters and

other shareable transportation devices in Atlanta.

June 6, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

999 Peachtree Street, Atlanta

5th floor Conference Center

close to Midtown MARTA station

Panelists include:

Amir Farokhi, District 2 City Council member
Cary Bearn, Interim Director of Atlanta's Office of Mobility Planning
Dan Hourigan, Director of Transportation and Sustainability at the Midtown Alliance
Beau Brouillette, who relies on walking to get around and is fed up with dodging scooters

Sally Flocks, PEDS' President & CEO, will moderate the discussion.

Clear the [e-scooter] Clutter!

A big thank you to everyone who used the Clear the Clutter tool to report scooters behaving

badly. A big thank you as well to Jordan Streiff, who developed and fine-tuned the tool.

During a 30-day period, people used the app to upload over 1,500 images of scooter violations. This is more than five times as many reports as scooter companies and ATL311 received in three months.

The online map of submitted photos makes it easy to zoom in and learn locations that are especially irksome.

Photos confirm that scooter riding and parking are out of control.

The Clear the Clutter report we prepared identifies effective strategies implemented by other cities. It also urges the City of Atlanta to take action. Recommendations include:

Tighten parking restrictions and clarify user rules
Set clear and reasonable fines and establish a minimum age limit
Require scooter companies to penalize violators
Provide infrastructure that helps prevent parking and riding violations
Set deadlines for companies to develop and implement technological solutions
Provide an app that makes it easy for people to report violations to all vendors and
that also enables City officials to monitor implementation of timely corrections

The report contains detailed action steps, and we welcome your feedback.

Atlanta often delays installing curb ramps on resurfacing projects

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires government agencies to install curb ramps prior to or at the same time as it completes a street resurfacing project.


	Recently resurfaced intersection on Westminster Drive lacks curb ramps.

Despite that, Atlanta often fails to implement ramps on a timely basis, both on Renew Atlanta projects and on routine projects implemented by the Department of Public Works.

PEDS' CEO Sally Flocks recently reached out to Renew Atlanta to express concern about this issue. In response, Information Specialist Adrian Carver wrote:

To ensure the best use of our tax dollars, our construction team must coordinate the most efficient sequencing of activities ... for multiple street resurfacing projects performed under a single contract. ADA-compliant curb ramps should generally be installed within 90 days of the conclusion of all final resurfacing and restriping activities.

This sequencing violates federal regulations.

Atlanta knows this. S ally served on the City's Infrastructure Advisory Committee for several years. And in 2016, she convinced Renew Atlanta's General Manager to amend contracts to ensure that ramps would be installed in a timely manner. Despite that, little has changed.

Dealing with the City on ADA issues is frustrating, but we're optimistic that the class action lawsuit that wheelchair users filed last year will finally put an end to Atlanta's ongoing neglect of its responsibility to make sidewalks accessible to all users. Sometimes the only way to get across the street is through the courtroom.

Your gifts help make safe sidewalks and crossings a reality .