E-scooters have descended upon Fort Pierce.
They’re the Treasure Coast's only electric scooter rentals using a smartphone application.They’ve been spotted mostly in downtown Fort Pierce and on South Hutchinson Islandsince the city launched Spin’s e-scooter share program Sept. 12.
“It was an opportunity for the (city) to enhance the community through micro-mobility,” wrote the city’s marketing specialist, Joe Sweat, via email.
Spin, an e-scooter share company owned byFord Motor Co.,and based in San Francisco, operates locally through Boston-based Zagster, which runs a bicycle-share program launch by St. Lucie County in February 2018.
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Fort Pierce is Spin’s first e-scooter program in Florida. It’s currently in cities and college campuses across the nation, including Los Angeles;Washington, D.C.; and at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Spin’s competition includes CaliforniacompaniesLime and Bird. Lime operates in South Florida, Orlando and Tampa while Bird operates in Miami.
The 150 e-scooters launched locally certainly seem popular. According to Spin, the program had 3,730 registered users and 5,463 rides here in its first 10 days.
“We considered it to be a very successful launch,” wrote Zagster spokesman Phil LeClare via email, “and the popularity of the program is on the rise.”
I had to check it out. I spent a few hours on a Sunday afternoon scootin’ through downtown Fort Pierce and then around South Beach. It was easy and fun, a new and different way to explore my town.
But the fun was cut short when another rider veered off the sidewalk and head-on into my bike lane. He would’ve hit me if I didn’t jump off the moving e-scooter. Luckily, I wasn’t hurt.
During the program’s first two weeks, one minor traffic incident involving an e-scooter was reported, but there weren’t any injuries or damage, according to Fort Pierce police officials. Law enforcement also received seven e-scooter-related calls and complaints.
My near-crash didn’t stop me from going again. I went on a Thursday evening with a friend who was new to the city. It turned out to be a great way for a visitor to explore, too.
Butwithout bike lanes downtown, a couple drivers honked at me as I rodein the street with the flow of traffic.
When it comes to the rules and regulations of the roadways, riders should be treating scooters like vehicles, the same way bicyclists do, LeClare wrote. That means obeying all traffic laws and not riding on sidewalks.
I noticed another big issue: minors riding the adults-only e-scooters. I asked one young rider, who turned out to be 14, how he rented his e-scooter. He told me his mom used her driver’s license. He didn’t know he was too young to be riding.
Spin has been working to educate the community about e-scooters and how to use the program properly.
“We are very proactive and attend local events to demonstrate how to use the scooter safely,” LeClare wrote.
Spin’s local operations manager, Pete Fedorkowicz, is one of 21 local Zagster employees. He’s been talking to people about e-scooter rules and signing people up on the app at private events and local businesses.
He ensures someone is monitoring local Facebook groups, including Fort Pierce Connection and South Beach on Hutchinson Island, to educate members.
Regardless, e-scooters are here to stay in Fort Pierce— at least until the end of the city's one-year commitment next year.
Whether using them as riders or avoiding them as drivers or pedestrians, residents and visitors need to learn how to use them.
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Read her weekly column,Laurie's Stories, on TCPalm.com.Follow her on Twitter at@TCPalmLaurieor Facebook atfaceboook.com/TCPalmLaurie.
How to use e-scooters
Step 1: Register
- Take a few minutes to register. You’ll need your smartphone, driver’s license or passport to verify your age and payment information.
- Down the app “SPIN – Electric Scooters” and sign up using your Facebook or email.
- Users are required to add $10 before riding. When you add your payment information, you’re charged $10.
- The cost is $1 to unlock an e-scooter and 15 cents per minute, so that’s $10 for the first hour. You can unlock only one at a time.
- You’re agreeing you’re at least 18 and the only one using the e-scooter. You’re also agreeing you’re not distracted during operation, including by texting; not using it in hazardous conditions, such as unpaved road or through water; not racing or performing stunts; and not under the influence of drugs, alcohol or medication.
Step 2: Ride
- Look at the map in the app during the 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily hours of operation. Go to the nearest e-scooter that pops up and scan the QR code in the middle of the handlebars to unlock the e-scooter.
- Step on the e-scooter with one foot, kick off with the other foot on the ground. When the e-scooter starts to coast, push the throttle with your right thumb to accelerate. Put both feet on the board while moving.
- Use bike lanes when available. Don’t ride on the sidewalks.
- Helmets are recommended but not required by law. Proper footwear of tied shoes, not sandals, also is recommended.
- The maximum e-scooter speed is 16 mph. Speed on Second Street starting at A.E. Backus Avenue is limited to 10 mph.
- The geo-fencing boundaries are 25th Street to the west, Moore’s Creek to the north, Virginia Avenue to the south and downtown Fort Pierce to the east, as well as South Hutchinson Island to Coconut Drive.
- Restricted areas include the South Causeway Bridge, the two downtown parking garages and Indian River Drive south of Citrus Avenue.
- If you enter a restricted area or go outside the boundaries, the e-scooter stops working and must be rolled back to a permitted area.
Step 3: Park
- Park at a designated motorcycle parking spot or the furniture zone of the sidewalk, closer to the curb.
- Don’t park at bus stops or benches, loading zones, landscaped areas, private property, driveways and curb ramps.
- When you’re done, press the “end trip” button.Pause your ride for up to two hours to lock the e-scooter and prevent someone else from renting it, but the meter keeps running.
Do you have more questions? Contact Spin at888-262-5189 or support@spin.pm. Contact Zagster at782-208-9283 or ftpierceops@zagster.com. For more information, go tospin.app.
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