Whether you’re for them or against them, e-scooters in Hoboken have made quite an undeniable impact. With the e-scooter pilot program expiring in the Mile Square on November 20th, it’s time for Hobokenites to express their opinions on e-scooters. Should we keep them? Or ax them? As we prepare for the unknown future of e-scooters in Hoboken, let’s take a look back at the history of e-scooters in the Mile Square and how far they’ve come. Lover of e-scooters? Hater of e-scooters? This is E-Scooters in Hoboken: A History.
E-Scooters in Hoboken
Hoboken’s e-scooter pilot is expiring on November 20th and Hoboken Girl wants to know: How do you feel about scooters in town? But first, before we ask you to vote on whether or not to keep e-scooters, let’s take a journey through Memory Lane and see just how far scooters in Hoboken have come.
April 2019: City of Hoboken Passes Electric Scooter Ordinance
In April, the City of Hoboken passed an ordinance that allowed electric scooters to be driven through the Mile Square. As part of the ordinance passing, Hoboken signed contracts with Lime and P3GM, the same operator as JerseyBike, or OjO scooters.
At the time, Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla said, “I am thrilled Hoboken is leading the way for the rest of the state to implement an additional mode of green transportation. Thank you to Director Ryan Sharp and his team for making this launch a reality.”
May 2019: E-Scooter Pilot Gets the Greenlight
On May 20th, 2019, Hoboken became the first city in New Jersey to launch an electric scooter program. Hoboken received 300 vehicles total, both Lime and OjO scooters.
As of the first day of the program rolling out, residents had taken 2,700 trips and had traveled 3,000 miles total.
See More: E-Scooters in Hoboken: The Rules, Regs, and Riots
August 2019: First Alcohol-Related Scooter Incident Recorded
The first alcohol-related scooter incident in Hoboken was recorded. According to Police Chief Ken Ferrante, the e-scooter driver was only “suspected” to have been under the influence and it doesn’t appear any charges were filed. The incident occurred on August 14th at 6th and Hudson Streets when a person fell off a scooter and sustained fractures and ultimately, non-life threatening injuries.
September 2019: OjO Scooters Are Banned After Incident
As of September 12th, at 3:00PM, OjO scooters were no longer rentable in Hoboken. Mayor Bhalla terminated the OjO electric scooter contract, giving the company 48 hours to remove all of their scooters from Hoboken.
The inciting incident seemed to be that an underaged OjO rider who was riding on the sidewalk ran into a mother who was holding an infant and pushing a double-wide stroller. The mother suffered a bruise from the incident and described the account in a series of tweets, which garnered a lot of attention.
“The electric scooter sharing programs have been widely popular in Hoboken, and have provided a valuable, green alternative transportation method utilized by tens-of-thousands of riders,” Mayor Bhalla said at the time.
“At the same time, the safety and well-being of our residents is my number one priority. That’s why today, after listening to the concerns of residents, and an evaluation of the OjO scooter program over the past three months, I’ve decided to terminate the contract,” Bhalla continued. “We expect that any transportation company, including e-scooters, provide adequate education, enforcement and adapt with the appropriate technology to safely operate on our streets. Unfortunately, this has not occurred with OjO.”
Lime is now the only operating e-scooter in Hoboken from this point on.
Read More: CarePoint Health to be Acquired by RWJBarnabas: What We Know
October 2019: 3 Alcohol-Related Incidents on Scooters Recorded, 2 DWIs
Following the first-ever recorded alcohol-related scooter incident on August 14th, two more alcohol-related incidents have occurred. Nicholas Cutrone, 26, of Hoboken was charged with the first DWI charge for a scooter rider in the Mile Square earlier this month. According to police, officers witnessed Cutrone appearing visibly unsteady while unlocking and then operating a scooter near Newark Street and Park Avenue. Cutrone was charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, and refusal to submit to a breathalyzer.
A week later, Erin Salvin, 26, of Morganville crashed an e-scooter into a vehicle as it was leaving a parking spot. Salvin fell into the vehicle, then to the ground. An officer ran to her aid, then after noticing the smell of alcohol on her breath, administered a field sobriety test. Salvin was put under arrest for suspected driving while intoxicated. When she eventually provided breath samples, her BAC was double the legal limit. Salvin was charged with DWI in a school zone and reckless driving and was issued several motor vehicle summonses.
In the aftermath of these alcohol-related e-scooter incidents, Lime urged riders to never drink and drive an e-scooter.
October 2019: Hoboken Announces Micromobility Code Enforcement Officers
On October 23rd, the City of Hoboken announced in an official statement that two Micromobility Code Enforcement Officers {MCEOs} have been hired and deployed to cover Hoboken, enforcing ordinances and regulations to “micromobility devices.” Micromobility devices include e-scooters, bikes, electric skateboards, etc.
A revenue share agreement between the City and Lime {adopted back in August} makes these MCEOs possible {AKA funded}.
“The MCEOs will educate riders, as well as provide summonses to riders who violate the City’s ordinances,” said the City in an official statement. “The MCEOs will focus on enforcement of e-scooter violations, such as riding on sidewalks, riding in parks and prohibited areas on the waterfront walkway, not obeying traffic control devices, and more.”
Yep, you guessed it. MCEOs totally have the authority to issue a summons. But that’s not all they can do; get too many e-scooter or micromobility summonses and you could lose your “license.”
“In addition to issuing summonses, the enforcement officers will also work with Lime and the Hoboken Police Department to suspend accounts of those who disregard certain regulations,” the statement continued. “MCEOs will also partner with local organizations to lead micromobility safety and education initiatives.”
So, what are your thoughts on e-scooters in Hoboken? Let us know by voting in our poll below.
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