 Do you Give a Hoot When you Scoot?
DOTI offers tips on how to ride with respect, tests new mandatory parking zone
DENVER – Spring is here, and with the warmer weather, more people are looking to use shared e-bikes and e-scooters as a convenient option to get around the city without a car. Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) is preparing for this prime time for riding, celebrating a record-breaking year for its Shared Bike and Scooter Program, sharing public survey results, testing a new mandatory parking zone and promoting safe riding.
Ridership Record
Denver’s Shared Bike and Scooter Program, which offers residents and visitors convenient access to e-bikes and e-scooters through a partnership with Lime and Bird, hit an all-time annual high of 6,639,297 rides in 2024, a 27% increase over 2023, eliminating over 2.2 million car trips from Denver streets. Denver’s Shared Bike and Scooter Program is one of the most successful in the nation – logging over 24 million rides and replacing over 8 million car trips since 2018.
Scooter Survey Results
In preparation for awarding new licensing agreements next year for the Shared Bike and Scooter Program, DOTI conducted a public survey to gain a better understanding of who’s using e-scooters, when and why they ride, what kinds of trips they take, and the factors that encourage e-scooter use. The survey received over 2,500 responses from both riders and non-riders and provided valuable insight into e-scooter use in Denver. The survey found that e-scooters are not only fun to ride, but they are an important and convenient form of transportation replacing car trips. Detailed survey results can be found here.
Ride with Respect
DOTI is continuing to evaluate best practices that encourage safe and responsible ridership. The build-out of the City’s bike network is giving e-bike and e-scooter users comfortable and safe places to ride while over 290 parking corrals have been installed to promote organized parking. Also starting this week in partnership with Lime and Bird, DOTI is testing a new Mandatory Parking Zone (MPZ) in the Union Station, Commons Park, and Platte Street neighborhoods (see map below). Riders that end trips in this area will be instructed via the Lime and Bird apps that they can only do so at a parking corral and will be provided nearby corral locations. The goal of the mandatory parking zone is to promote pedestrian safety and keep walkways clear. Test results will help inform how the approach might be used in the future and, if successful, could be expanded to other parts of downtown. Tips on how to scoot safely and with care are being shared by Lime and Bird as well. More information can be found at DenverGov.org/RideWithRespect
To learn more about Denver’s Scooter and Bike Share Program, visit our website. |