Cobb County is considering establishing a Bike share permitting system. The proposed system would regulate the application, operation, and management of bike sharing services within the County. Under the proposed amendment, Cobb County would require all bike share rental services to obtain a permit. Each bike share operator must have certificates of 1M coverage of commercial general liability and 1M coverage of automobile liability. Each bike share operator must provide a payment of $25 per bike into an escrow account, with a cap of $10,000. Also, operators must acquire a bike share station license from the County to install each rental station in the public right-of-way. The County would mandate real-time data sharing requirements for each operators’ entire fleet. Operators would have to provide anonymized data reports for each trip, rides in each trip, temporary parking in each trip, bike availability data, and maintenance activities. Each operator shall send a report every sixth month on the general operators of their fleet.
Cobb County would be the first county in metro Atlanta to adopt regulations on shareable rental bike services. Governor Kemp recently signed House Bill 454 which authorizes electric bikes that operate no more than 20mph can operate on bike trails and prohibiting faster devices from traveling on bike trails. The bill also mandates that an individual must wear a bicycle helmet while operating a rental electric bicycle that can travel at 28mph. The state law does not preempt local municipalities to enact their own regulations.
Given the recent influx of electric bikes and scooters last spring, several municipalities have already enacted policies to govern the use of shareable electric bikes and scooters. Similar to Cobb’s proposal, The City of Brookhaven has data sharing requirements in its shareable e-scooter ordinance which was enacted in March. Each e-scooter operator must submit real-time data-sharing monthly reports on e-scooter usage and maintenance issues to city officials. The city of Atlanta will only accept permits for up to 2,000 electric shareable mobility devices. Each e-scooter operator must pay a permit application fee of $100. The device permit fee is $12,000 annual for up to 500 devices. Companies must pay an additional per device fee of $50 for devices over 500.
Other metro Atlanta municipalities have opted to halt the use of shareable e-scooters. Both the City of Tucker and the City of Snellville passed moratoriums on the use of shareable e-scooters to study e-scooter implementation strategy further earlier this year. On December 17th, the Decatur City Commission authorized the city manager to negotiate an interim operating agreement between the city and e-scooter companies. In the approved sample interim agreement, the city of Decatur will only permit 50 e-scooters to operate within the city’s boundaries. Each e-scooter operator must pay an operation fee of $3,000 each month, as well as a $1.00 for each e-scooter in operation each day. There is speculation that other cities in metro Atlanta (i.e Dunwoody) may be formulating similar e-scooter regulatory policies.
Enacting a more stringent approach, the city of Marietta unanimously approved an ordinance prohibiting the use of shareable dockless devices throughout the City last month. This regulation does not apply to citizens’ ability to operate their own personal scooters. Officials familiar with the ordinance said that the City will take the opportunity while this prohibition is in effect to study the issue and devise a framework for effective regulation.
Recent data shows that 79% of people have a “positive perception” of using e-scooters in Atlanta, according to Populus. Further, e-scooters may serve a crucial role in reducing the number of cars on the road, especially as it relates to “last-mile” connectivity, given that 60% of car trips in the United States are less than 6 miles, and 40% of car trips are less than 2 miles, according to recent statistics from the United States Department of Energy.
Electric scooters are emerging as a crucial element of the greater mobility discussion in metro Atlanta. This cost-effective and eco-friendly mode of transportation would not only increase transit ridership but could also provide a new, equitable service for under-served communities. E-scooters are poised to significantly transform the economic vitality of the metro Atlanta region if regulated in a thoughtful and deliberate way.
Cobb County’s proposed rental bike share regulations will be discussed during the Board of Commissioners Work Session on Tuesday, May 28th at 1:30pm. The Council for Quality Growth will continue to monitor the development of the proposed amendment. If you have any feedback in regards to the proposed county rental bike shareable permitting program, please email either Taylor Morison at [email protected] or Kimberly Steele at [email protected]
