Electric scooters, also called e-scooters or motorized scooters have become a popular way to zip around town. Scooter rental companies like Lime and Bird have cropped up in cities across the country to offer pedestrians a fun and quick way to make their way around town at a small cost. Unfortunately, with the rise in popularity of e-scooters has also come a rise in accidents.
While both Bird and Lime recommend using helmets, few riders wear them. The scooters are often left scattered on sidewalks and on grass lawns, leaving obstacles for pedestrians. Some cities have taken to banning all but personally owned e-scooters.
Curbed reports that Atlanta’s leaders are looking to push for safer streets in the wake of a second scooter death.
37-year-old William Alexander was the second e-scooter related death to occur in Atlanta. Last Wednesday night, Alexander was riding an e-scooter through midtown when he was struck by a CobbLinc bus. Alexander was pinned beneath the bus, which eventually led to his death.
Alexander’s death follows the death of 20-year-old Eric Amis, Jr., who was struck and killed outside the West Lake MARTA station in May.
The death of Amis caused outcry for an update of Atlanta’s infrastructure to make its streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and those riding e-scooters. That infrastructure, according to some members of the Atlanta City Council, needs to include providing space and lanes for those on bicycles as well as those on scooters.
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