The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is planning on installing 100 parking corrals to be used by dockless vehicle riders around the city, along with creating “dismount zones.”
The move aims at addressing the District’s problems centering around riding and parking of scooters, whose number is increasing day by day. D.C. area residents often complain about scooters occupying sidewalks.
DDOT’s 2020 Shared Dockless Vehicle Program is expected to bring the number of dockless electric scooters and bikes in the city to more than twice as many next year.
In order to provide the needs of riders of these vehicles and eliminate pedestrians’ complaints, the department will implement some solutions, including the installation of parking corrals.
Each of the corrals will be able to fit in six bicycles and six scooters. They will be available both for individuals riding their own vehicles and those using the ones from a city-approved vendors.
Another measure taken by DDOT against scooter parking issues is painting stencils on sidewalks within D.C.’s Central Business District. Those sidewalks will be designated as “dismount zones” for bikes and scooters, as it is forbidden to ride the vehicles on sidewalks in the CBD.
Currently, eight private dockless companies are operating in the District. Eight companies run electric scooters (Bird, Bolt, Jump, Lime, Lyft, Razor, Skip, and Spin), while one company (Jump) operates bicycles. The number of dockless vehicles operated by these companies in the District is over 6,000.
“Mayor Bowser has made it clear that accessible and sustainable transportation is a top priority for the District of Columbia, and shared dockless vehicles are part of our city’s transportation network,” said DDOT Director Jeff Marootian in a press release on November 7.