Council Member Gennaro, Electeds Calls for End Of E-Scooter Program In NE Queens; Blast DOT For Lack Of Transparency

DOT Refused to Attend a Town Hall that Was Planned for the Same Day as the Press Conference

This past week, Council Member James F. Gennaro joined forces with Council Member Sandra Ung, Assembly Member Sam Berger, Assembly Member David Weprin, and Community Board 8 Chair Martha Taylor to call for an end of the e-scooter program in Northeast Queens.

The elected officials also slammed the Dept. of Transportation (DOT) and the Adams Administration for their lack of commitment to transparency. Gennaro's office was in the process of setting up an "E-Scooter Town Hall" to give local residents the opportunity to discuss their concerns with the program with DOT directly. Despite multiple attempts to set this Town Hall up for the community, DOT has declined to attend. The Town Hall was originally planned for the day of the press conference - September 16.

"Today would have been the day our offices host an E-Scooter Town Hall, allowing residents the opportunity to ask questions and offer honest feedback about the rollout of the e-scooter program in Northeast Queens. But DOT has demonstrated that they are not committed to transparency, refusing to attend any town hall we host on the subject matter. They do not care about what these e-scooters have done to our community, and they are not interested in hearing our feedback," said Council Member James F. Gennaro said. "This program has been a total disaster. The community does not want these scooters here. We do not want these scooters here. And we call on this Administration and DOT to terminate this program in Northeast Queens immediately."

“Throughout the department’s community outreach, DOT continually ignored the concerns of local communities, and instead chose to go forward with this expansion,” said Councilmember Sandra Ung. “Now, many of the problems we were concerned about – scooters left haphazardly on the streets and sidewalks that are blocking crosswalks and the entrances to homes and businesses, as well as users driving them recklessly – are now a reality. Last week, I introduced a bill that would prohibit the operation of a shared e-scooter program or the use of shared e-scooters in parts of my district. Hopefully, this bill is just a start, because I continue to believe shared e-scooter programs are wrong for our area of Queens and should be eliminated, and I am committed to working with my colleagues in government who share this same goal. I hope that working together we can convince DOT to work with us to find solutions that enhance our community, not place additional burdens on it.”

"The current rollout of the E-Scooter program in Queens has been received poorly by this district and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) unwillingness to engage with the community demonstrates a clear disregard for its responsibilities. Since the introduction of this program, our community has seen scooters carelessly discarded on sidewalks, medians, and streets, obstructing the paths of handicapped individuals, and widespread disregard for traffic laws by riders. These problems pose a serious threat to riders safety, pedestrian safety and the overall accessibility of our district," said Assembly Member Sam Berger. "For these reasons, I strongly urge the DOT to terminate the E-Scooter program within the 27th Assembly District. This program has a need and a place but it is not here."

"This e-scooter program is not the right fit for our neighborhoods. As elected officials and local community leaders, we were not consulted for input on the program and our residents’ voices are not being taken into account. There must be more stringent rules on who can operate these scooters and better education about where they can be used and stored. Our sidewalks must be safe for people of all ages – those who ride at high velocities down the sidewalk are putting children, the elderly, and everyday New Yorkers at risk of being hit and injured," said Assembly Member David Weprin. "E-scooters are being left on every corner, sometimes blocking storefronts or even wheelchair ramps. This is unsightly, unsafe, and unacceptable! I call for an indefinite pause on the program in our communities until such time as a more intentional and thought-out plan to address our public transit needs can be implemented."

"The community board is 100 percent against these e-scooters. They are dangerous, they are a hazard, and I don't see any positive that comes from this program," said CB8 Chair Martha Taylor.

In addition to a lack of transparency, Gennaro noted that there are steps the agency can be taking to address the problem of the e-scooters being left haphazardly on the middle of the sidewalk or on private property, but have not.

"Not only do these e-scooters pose a major hazard to both its operators and pedestrians, but they are also often left haphazardly on sidewalks and streets, creating dangerous obstacles on our sidewalks. Lime, Bird and Veo can penalize their customers for leaving scooters on private property or in the middle of the sidewalk," Gennaro said.