City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Oral Presentation on a Proposed Framework to Responsibly Manage Private, Dockless Shared Mobility Devices and Mitigate Unintended Impacts.
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ISSUE: Discussion on dockless, shared mobility devices and a potential framework to responsibly manage to the degree permitted under Virginia Law the increasingly popular, private, shared mobility devices (SMDs, i.e. "dockless" electric bikes and electric scooters).
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council receive this report.
BACKGROUND: In the past decade, shared mobility programs such as Capital Bikeshare have become a common, accepted form of transportation in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area and across the country. These programs typically followed a careful, coordinated process which included structured public-private partnerships, competitive bidding and management systems to ensure the best outcomes for the public. Without a regulatory framework, SMDs in a City can result in significant problems and resident/business concerns.
In January 2017, a new type of system began operating in North American cities. These systems - mainly dockless electric bikes and scooters - often launched absent any contract, permits or business license, sometimes without knowledge of the jurisdiction itself. In response, many cities have developed permitting and licensing structures to manage them and ensure that public needs stay at the forefront of new mobility advances. In this region, the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, Md. adopted pilot permitting programs last fall. Both jurisdictions consider the pilots useful and will continue allowing the vehicles to operate.
Under Virginia law, electric power-assisted bicycles and electric power assistive mobility devices are legal with certain restrictions. Arlington Coun...
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