Scooters in the harbor prompt Baltimore City officials to create geofencing solution
BALTIMORE -- Rental scooters are finding their way from the streets of Baltimore to the floor of Inner Harbor.
The transition from a two-wheel freedom machine to a makeshift barrier reef causes damage to the scooters.
Department of Transportation officials say that they have hauled dozens of scooters from the Inner Harbor this week alone.
Scooters in our Harbor is something we don't like.
— Baltimore City DOT (@BmoreCityDOT) October 19, 2022
Sadly, the dive team had disruptions during COVID (just like everywhere else), so this haul was overdue.
But we have been working on this problem in other ways as well. https://t.co/OXerxrkVVU
That's why they will be creating a geofence to resolve the problem. The fence aims to prevent riders from getting close to the water.
People often use electric scooters to get around Baltimore.
"I think they're pretty fun," Josh Hardman said while at the Inner Harbor. "It makes it easy to get around places fast."
E-scooters first arrived in Baltimore in 2019.
Soon after they invaded the city, people began vandalizing them and improperly discarding them.
That behavior wasn't exclusive to Baltimore. Other cities have experienced similar problems.
"I think it's a little messed up," Jesse Williams said while visiting the harbor. "It's a waste of money and I guess I don't really understand why they would do it."
Other cities across the country, like Tampa and Austin, are fishing out electric scooters from their waters too.
"To me, that's honestly just shocking because I don't know . . . They are a very convenient thing and I know it's like one person can ruin it for everyone," Hardman said.
The Department of Transportation is going to set up "no park zones," which will create a virtual perimeter around the Inner Harbor.
This virtual perimeter will block riders from ending their rides within certain areas.
Some people say the geofence will make it slightly more difficult to get from point A to point B.
"Which is a shame because tourist areas are where they're needed," Tracy Duncan said. "That's how people get around who don't have a car or other parts of transportation."
In addition to geofencing, Department of Transportation crews say they will be setting up parking zones for scooters or bicycles, which will also help keep the sidewalks clear.