Salt Lake residents beg for help with scooters

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Council got an earful about e-scooters Tuesday night.

City Creek residents and others who live downtown say it’s not safe to walk anywhere. And they see no enforcement.

Some of the many people addressing @slcCouncil Tuesday night about speeding scooters and bikes downtown pic.twitter.com/8FESOITWyL

— Mary Richards (@kslmrichards) October 9, 2019

Rick Warner said the scooters dart in and out, and they are hard to anticipate.

“This weekend I was walking up Main Street, and a man on a scooter came whizzing around the corner with his daughter in front of him. Luckily even with my titanium hip, I was able to jump to the side and land on the grass sot hey didn’t hit me,” he said. “We need to find a way to preserve the fun aspect but not have the danger.”

Harriett Rasmussen said held the door for the postman and almost got bowled over by a rider. Her husband Wally also spoke about the monthly problem of nightly bike rides by 100 bicyclists or more who take up the full road and blast through red lights.

“You say, I wonder where the parents are. Well sometimes, the parents are on the scooter with three little kids, and no one has a helmet on,” said Constance Daly.

Susan Hilbig says downtown is a giant skate park. She says it’s not for transportation, just joy riding.

Her husband Wayne Hilbig said riders use the scooters “like they are trying out for the Olympic slalom team.”

John Seevo says they have to make stricter regulations, and then enforce them.

“I ask that you do the most you can with an ordinance, and then we insist that we insist that ordinance to the best of our ability to make this a safer place than it is now,” he said.

Retired doctor Denise Taylor says Salt Lake City is going to be known as the city that failed to act responsibly.

The testimony starts around 26 minutes in to the video.

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