A week before East Point was set to discuss regulating electronic scooters, a man riding one of the devices was struck and killed Tuesday by a commercial gas truck.
Quienterry McGriff was the fourth person killed while riding an e-scooter in metro Atlanta since May. Police said McGriff was homeless, and was struck after he ran a red light at Norman Berry Drive at Semmes Street about 6:30 a.m., according to Channel 2 Action News.
East Point City Council first discussed possibly regulating e-scooters in April, and the proposed language is expected to be discussed at a council work session next week, said Councilwoman Nanette Saucier.
“I’m seeing more and more every day, and I’m really worried about it,” Saucier told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday.
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She brought up the idea of an ordinance, according to the agenda item, after seeing a Jump bike "abandoned" and blocking the pedestrian path on April 2.
Saucier said her initial reaction was to propose a ban, but she said some people are now dependent upon the vehicles.
“I think it’s our responsibility to help people protect themselves,” she said.
Municipal staff all over metro Atlanta are telling city councils that scooter companies invade cities without the blessing of elected officials, and get residents attached to their service before the cities have reviewed their business plans.
Many cities are now figuring out what's best for them after the state legislature parked a pair of bills that would have regulated e-scooters statewide.
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That is what happened in the city of Atlanta with industry leaders Bird and Lime. A year and a half ago, Midtown sidewalks were flooded with scooters, forcing Atlanta politicians to create new regulations.
Three riders have been killed riding scooters in Atlanta — one in May and two in July.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an executive order banning new scooter permits in July, and issued a statement earlier this week that the city would begin debating new regulations soon.
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As of March, Atlanta has collected more than $450,000 in permit fees, according to a report issued to the city council. City officials have issued permits for roughly 12,000 scooters, but less than half of that number have been deployed.
Some cities like Marietta and Alpharetta have banned the devices. Lilburn banned scooters for 12 months to give legislators and other cities time to come up with best practices.
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