New scooter parking corral installed in the 500 block of North College Avenue.
(Courtesy of City of Bloomington)
As early as mid-August, the City of Bloomington will have installed around 55 parking corrals for shared micro-mobility vehicles — such as e-bikes and e-scooters — in the downtown area.
The parking areas are part of the city’s goal of promoting multimodal transportation while minimizing the number of improperly parked e-scooters and e-bikes, and by extension, resulting accidents and injuries.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Hank Duncan said the city began installing the corrals in late July. He expects the installation to be completed as early as Aug. 15.
“This is really a great step that the public can see the work that we’re doing to improve both shared micro-mobility in the city — making it more accessible for those who ride it — and also making the right-of-way more accessible for pedestrians,” Duncan said.
Duncan said all the corrals will be placed in what the city considers the core downtown area, which is between Morton Street and Indiana Avenue from east to west, and between East Third and East 12th streets to the north and south.
Some of the corrals will be located on the sidewalk while others will be on the street; that will depend on each location’s right-of-way. Duncan did provide an exact number.
However, he said the corrals will not replace existing street parking for motor vehicles.
“Essentially, we use data from the scooter and bike operators and where trips normally start and end to pinpoint the general area of where we want locations,” Duncan said. “Obviously, we want locations in high-use areas where they will be used. Otherwise, what's the point of a corral?”
Duncan estimates that on average, the corrals are placed about two blocks apart or less near popular destinations. That means riders will only have to walk one to two minutes from the corral to wherever they’re trying to go.
The city is also implementing a coding system that will require users to end trips by parking in one of the newly installed corrals. The incentive for users to do so is that they’ll continue to be charged unless they park in a corral.
“That is the most effective way to decrease right-of-way obstruction and organize the parking for these shared vehicles,” Duncan said. “If I'm riding a scooter around downtown, and I want to park somewhere, I can't just end my trip and place it anywhere.”
But there’s a caveat: riders must download the smartphone application for the manufacturer of whatever vehicle they’re using.
Bloomington has had operational agreements with three e-scooter companies: Lime, Bird and VEO Ride. So, for example, anyone using a Lime scooter or bike would have to check to Lime app to determine where the closest parking corral is.
Renewals of the companies’ operating licenses are being negotiated now.
The city’s board of public works will consider license applications from all three manufacturers next Tuesday. All three scooter companies' licenses expired on July 31, so the renewals they're seeking will be retroactive to Aug. 1.
In April, the board also approved by a 2-1 vote a list of recommendations regarding e-scooters from the city’s planning and economic and sustainable development departments. The recommendations include an adjustment to hours of operation and possible fines for riders who park in the public right-of-way.
Duncan said the recommendations should be implemented as early as next week.
The corrals are funded by shared scooter revenues, or fees that Lime, Bird and VEO pay to operate scooters within city limits.
