Electric scooter rentals to kick off in Mt. Pleasant

An ordinance that Mt. Pleasant city commissioners established last year and tweaked in February will soon be put to use.

An exact date has not yet been established, but electric scooters will be available soon at several sites in Mt. Pleasant, allowing the public to rent through QR codes displayed on the scooters.

There will be city-licensed third-party vendor information affixed to each scooter, to allow the reporting of safety concerns, parking issues, or unsafe or inoperable scooters by calling the number provided on each vehicle.

There are currently 11 scooter rental sites within the city, and drivers of the two-wheeled, one person vehicles must obey safety requirements and speed limits.

Rental sites will be at 227 S. Main Street next to the bench in front of Listening Ear, 201 S. Main St., 111 E. Michigan St., 118 W. Broadway St. at the southeast corner of Main and Washington, 220 W. Michigan in the area now stamped concrete after road reconstruction, 320 W. Broadway St.; two locations at Town Square, 200 E. Broadway St., 301 E. Broadway St., and the northeast corner of University and Illinois streets in the concrete area.

Scooters must be parked upright and left in the city right-of-way between the sidewalk and the street or back at the deployment site, city spokeswoman Darcy Orlik said in a press release.

Renters 18 and younger must wear helmet, and the vehicles can only be operated on city streets with speed limits of 25 miles per hour or less, Orlik said.

Renters cannot have open containers of alcohol while operating the scooters, which can only be used outside.

Renters cannot recharge the scooters.Speeds on sidewalks and on campus at Central Michigan University cannot exceed 10 miles per hour, and operators must give audible notice when approaching pedestrians, and yield the right of way at all times.

When traveling on streets, scooter renters must remain close to the curb and abide by all traffic laws.

Commissioners in October approved an ordinance that required owners of motor scooter companies to remove them from public rights-of-way between 3 and 6 a.m., but revised that portion to allow electric skateboards and scooters to be reset in upright, neatly lined up positions in areas that don't interfere with foot or vehicular traffic as designated by Police Chief Paul Lauria or a designee.

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