E-Scooters block a driveway into a parking lot in Murray Hill, Queens on October 19, 2024. (Credit: Adrian O’Farrill)
The sidewalks in Queens are crowded — but not just with people. Busy crosswalks, blocked by 45-pound metal obstacles littered on the streets, have become the norm and are causing an uproar.
Over the summer, the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) rolled out a rideshare e-scooter program from Flushing and south to Springfield Gardens. Three companies, Lime, Bird and Veo, were selected to participate after operating in The Bronx since 2021.
When New York City initially started this program in The Bronx, DOT commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez was excited that “residents availed themselves of a completely new form of transportation that got them from point A to point B.”
But across the East River, Queens residents don’t feel as optimistic as the commissioner. While this area of Queens is considered a transit desert, the e-scooters have been vehemently opposed by many – from residents to city council members.
“It’s the Wild West,” said Chuck McGorry, standing outside the Veterans of Foreign Wars building in Murray Hill. “If I dragged these out onto the street and left them there, I guarantee they would take them away.”
Unlike Citi Bikes with dedicated docks for parking, e-scooters can be parked anywhere except for a few specific geo-fenced areas like parks and hospitals, or, in the case of Downtown Flushing and Jamaica, mandatory parking zones. This allows for a level of mobility unique to e-scooters, but it puts its faith in the integrity of the riders. It’s also raised safety concerns for potentially blocked driveways.
“We’re not happy with the scooters,” said Eugene Kelty, chair of the board for community district 7. “You look at that corner, and you’re going to see all scooters laying on the floor and stuff like that. They take it, and they just leave them there, and they don’t care.”
Scattered scooters blocking sidewalks and driveways are just one side of the problem.
“It’s not just parking,” said Shane Miller, communications director for Council Member Sandra Ung. “It’s people riding them recklessly on the streets and sidewalks and the fact it has fallen on residents to report improperly parked scooters and other issues to the companies.”
When asked about the concerns residents have raised about the e-scooters, the DOT did not respond to comment.
Ung has been one of many outspoken local government officials criticizing the scooter companies from the get-go. Citing overcrowding and congestion in a letter from July of 2023 addressed to DOT Commissioner Rodriguez, Ung states: “While the Micro-Mobility Share Program may be a suitable alternative form of transit in other neighborhoods, it is not right for Flushing.”
Since then, other leaders have joined the rallying cry to cease e-scooter operations. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and State Senator Leroy Comrie gave a press conference on October 11 in Jamaica, Queens, calling for an operational pause to address these safety concerns.
Lime says safety is the highest priority in their guiding processes. Jacob Tugendrajch, senior manager of communication at Lime, said that “from 2021 through 2024, 99.99% of Lime rides globally have ended without a reported incident. We continue to make progress toward our goal of being the safest micro-mobility operator in the industry.”
When starting a new account, Lime will prompt a rider to upload a valid ID to verify their age is 18 or older, followed by a safety multiple choice quiz to ensure a rider knows the rules of the road. Lime also caps the speed of a rider’s first three rides by half to 8 miles per hour. Finally, upon completing the ride, the app asks for a picture of the parked scooter. How a rider drives, and more importantly to some, how they park it, is difficult to enforce.
Just across the street from McGorry in Murray Hill, Christine Seong, manager of the local coffee shop Coffee Monster, shares a similar sentiment. She likes the idea of keeping the scooters contained in corrals since they won’t block her storefront.
“Sometimes, when we get groceries delivered, they block the sidewalk, and the truck doesn’t have access,” she says.
But while Seong and McGorry say they are frustrated with the scooters, they don’t necessarily want to see them gone for good. “I just want to see them get parked right,” McGorry says.
Unfortunately, Kelty says, it seems too many of the riders are not responsible people. But the scooters are here to stay – at least for a while. The contracts run until May 2029, with the city able to renew for an additional five years.
