Scooter Safety Campaign 2023
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has some exciting news for all who use the sidewalk in the City! Starting May 1, 2023, we'll be launching a new safety campaign aimed at promoting safe and responsible electric scooter use in the city for both permitted scooter share devices and privately operated scooters. The campaign will focus on three key safety rules that every rider should keep in mind while riding: no sidewalk riding, no speeding, and no double riding.
The SFMTA's new safety campaign is a crucial next step in promoting safe and responsible electric scooter use in San Francisco. By educating riders about the dangers of sidewalk riding, unsafe speeding and riding, and improper parking, the SFMTA hopes to make the city safer for all residents and visitors.
Sidewalk riding has been a major concern for pedestrians in San Francisco, and it's illegal to ride an electric scooter on the sidewalk. The SFMTA's safety campaign seeks to educate riders about the dangers of sidewalk riding.
Another aspect of the campaign focuses on the dangers of unsafe speeding and riding. Electric scooters can travel at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour, which can be dangerous if riders aren't paying attention to their surroundings. The SFMTA's safety campaign will encourage riders to be mindful of their speed (riding over 15 miles per hour is illegal) and to obey traffic laws.
The campaign will also focus on no double riding. For safety reasons, only one rider should ride a scooter at a time. It’s also the law.
To spread the word about this safety campaign, the SFMTA will be posting posters on Muni buses, displaying ads in Muni bus stops, and targeting social media ads to reach a wider audience. The aim is to reach as many scooter riders as possible and encourage them to prioritize safety while riding.
When operating a powered scooter, users must obey all traffic laws including those related to riding while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. People operating a powered scooter must have a valid driver license or instruction permit and users under the age of 18 must wear a helmet.
Before the Scooter Safety Campaign, the SFMTA has been actively working to improve scooter safety in San Francisco. The agency has implemented several policies and regulations to help make scooter riding safer, including:
- Requiring permitted scooter companies to provide a lock-to system to keep parked scooters out of the accessible path of travel
- Requiring permitted scooter companies to develop and implement a plan for safe riding. These plans include rider training, in-app messages with safety messages and sidewalk detection technology on their devices.
- Encouraging scooter permittees to adopt an escalating penalty structure for improper riding and parking
- Working with the Port of San Francisco to reduce sidewalk riding on the Embarcadero.
The agency has also worked to improve infrastructure for scooter riders. The agency has installed:
- 3,000+ racks installed since the beginning of scooter permit program in 2018
- 11,000+ bike racks available citywide for scooter parking
- 465 miles of bikeways in San Francisco
- 78 miles off-street paths
- 139 miles of bike lanes (Class II)
- 43 miles of separated bikeways (Class IV)
- 45 miles of bike lanes and separated bikeways added since 2018
- 33 miles of Slow Streets
The agency is also working to expand the active transportation network in the City through our currently underway new Active Communities Plan.
If you want to report any complaints related to scooter riding, you can contact 311. You can call 311 or report the issue at sf311.org/scooters.
If you want to find out more about what the Powered Scooter Share Permit Program, visit our website and view our data dashboards.