Can you Park your Scooter There? Why Scooter Riders Mispark and What to do about it

Abstract

Policymakers, the media, and the public often view e-scooters as sidewalk clutter. While research suggests that concerns about misparked scooters are overblown, understanding why travelers mispark could inform interventions to increase parking compliance. We surveyed 391 international scooter users and find that few (9%) reported ever misparking, while another 19 percent were unsure. Our findings suggest that riders are largely unfamiliar with local parking regulations; instead, they define parking correctness based on an intuitive concern over impeding access of other travelers. According to respondents, in-app reminders, additional infrastructure, signage, and fines would be the most effective interventions to improve parking compliance.

Scooters Are Here, But Where Do They Go?

“…In many cases, scooters legally parked in one city would violate another's parking regulations. The numerous, and often subtle, distinctions between and within city scooter regulations may explain why many riders express confusion over parking requirements, particularly those with a more tenuous connection to accessibility (Brown, Klein and Thigpen, 2021).…”

“…Research from five international cities suggests that scooter users have an intuitive understanding that scooters should not block access by other travellers: nearly all surveyed riders agreed that scooters should park upright, not block a curb cut or door, and not park in the middle of the sidewalk. Correspondingly, most riders (61%) said that caring "how my parking might affect other travellers" was the most important factor motivating their parking behaviour (Brown, Klein and Thigpen, 2021).…”

“…However, riders' intuitions about where to park may not align with city regulations; for example, a city may prohibit parking next to a signpost, but a scooter parked there may not impede access by other travellers and accordingly be viewed as appropriately parked by the public. Indeed, research suggests that many scooter riders view scooters as mis-parked only when they impede others' access; they are less likely to see a scooter that does not clearly block access as a parking violation (Brown, Klein and Thigpen, 2021).…”

“…Evidence from a number of cities also suggests that, when provided, users do park at designated micromobility parking corrals and infrastructure; more than one-third of observed micromobility vehicles were parked at bike racks or scooter corrals across five cities (Brown et al, 2020). Surveys of international scooter users also suggests that some scooter users mis-park because they cannot find micromobility parking or this parking is too far away from their final destination (Brown, Klein and Thigpen, 2021); providing additional designated spaces may ameliorate both of these concerns. Finally, designated parking can be implemented in conjunction with other parking-supportive policies.…”

“…Similarly, cities achieve very low-rates of scooter mis-parking with and without lock-to requirements, suggesting that lock-to alternatives such as incentives and/or providing additional parking can deliver similar results (Brown et al, 2020). Most scooter users accurately identify mis-parked vehicles that impede access, and state that when they do mis-park it is due to confusion over parking regulations or a lack of available parking (Brown, Klein and Thigpen, 2021); cities can capitalise on both the impulses to park properly and identified need for additional parking locations by providing more designated micromobility parking, a move that would also align with broader city goals of providing access and movement to people. At the same time, it will remain critical for cities to continue to enforce regulations that do guarantee unimpeded travel by others, such as the timely removal of scooters that are blocking crosswalks, curb ramps, and crosswalk push buttons, which are universally prohibited by current US scooter regulations.…”