Redondo Beach Rejects Electric Scooters

REDONDO BEACH, CA — A proposal for a beach cities electric scooter pilot program rode off into the sunset this week when Redondo Beach city leaders voted not to participate.

Without Redondo Beach’s buy-in, there simply aren’t enough cities participating to make the program work. As the Daily Breeze reports, Manhattan Beach and Torrance had already rejected the program while El Segundo and Hermosa Beach city leaders had agreed to give it a try. The effort by the South Bay Cities Council of Governments to launch an electric scooter program required three cities to join and agree to a shared set of rules, the newspaper reported.

Supporters of the program say it could reduce traffic while offering residents and emissions-free way to get around the South Bay. Opponents conted electric scooters cause headaches for communities when riders fail to follow traffic laws and leave scooters littering the sidewalks.
The Redondo Beach City Council left open the possibility that it could revisit the plan again next year.

But Mayor Bill Brand remains a skeptic, saying he was "totally against it" because of all the emails and phone calls he has received from residents who oppose the idea, according to the Daily Breeze. "I’ve had nothing but complaints," Brand said. "I've never once got an email from a resident requesting that we allow them in the city. All I’ve gotten are complaints and long voicemails about how much of a hazard they are."