UC Looking for State Help in Regulating E-Scooters

A news report indicates that UC is sponsoring a bill in the legislature - probably in conjunction with other entities - allowing greater regulation of e-scooters and similar devices. UCLA made deals with a number of providers that give discounts to students back in 2019.* From NBC Bay Area:

A bill was introduced in the state senate on Thursday that would allow public agencies, including universities, to set rules and regulations for the use of scooters and other personal transportation devices.

Senate Bill 295 was authored by state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, and would expand the rule-setting authority those agencies already have to include the ability to govern the use and storage of transportation devices, as well as authorize some small vehicles on campuses, according to a press release from Dodd.** Dodd said the bill was motivated by a fatal bicycle crash at U.C. Davis and an overall increase in crashes on university campuses.

"Emerging electric devices travel at high speeds and operate silently, providing little to no warning to pedestrians and motorists. My bill expands authority of public colleges to set commonsense rules and regulations that will keep our communities safe," Dodd said in a statement.

The legislation is sponsored by the University of California.

In addition to giving authority to regulate personal transportation, the bill could also allow agencies to authorize small, fuel-efficient work vehicles on campuses.

Source: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/legislation-regulate-scooters-university-campuses-california/3148773/.

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*https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/ucla-reaches-agreement-with-three-e-scooter-and-e-bike-companies.

**The text of the Dodd bill is at:

https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB295/2023.

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E-scooters can definitely be dangerous:

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSmYBNorjYI.