Madison explores possibility of e-scooters

Governor Tony Evers recently signed a bill making electric scooters legal in Wisconsin, following a wave of e-scooters popping up throughout the country.

According to Madison's Transportation Director Tom Lynch, there are a series of steps and considerations to take before Madison would have e-scooters available, if the city decides to allow them.

“Right now, for the City of Madison to pursue a pilot project, it would be difficult because it’s late in the year," he said. "By the time we selected a provider and the like, it would be into the winter months."

He said for the time being, the city will learn more about existing scooter programs in other cities, including safety, and parking options.

"We’re going to take this time right now just to evaluate some of the new data that’s coming out right now regarding the safety of scooters, how they fit into the urban landscape, how their storage works, how their charging works," he said.

He said they would then take that information to committee then common council, then the proposal for a pilot program would go to a vote. Lynch said that vote to move forward or not with a pilot would likely come in winter.

"They might have some advantages, but they also have challenges, and we want to understand both the benefits and the challenges before we move forward with the pilot," he said.