(The Center Square) – E-scooters could be back on the streets of Pennsylvania for the first time in three years if a bill under consideration Monday by the Committee of Transportation advances to become law.
Democratic Rep. Emily Kinkead of Allegheny County, sponsor of the bill, is one of Pennsylvania’s staunchest supporters of e-scooters.
“E-scooters are first and foremost a micromobility option,” Kinkead said, citing that e-bikes are primarily used by “People who are trying to close the gap in public transit.”
Despite the criticism the previous pilot program in Pittsburgh received for creating unsafe environments for those using sidewalks, Kinkead maintained that the program was “really successful.”
Rather than by rambunctious teenagers, Kinkead believes e-scooters are being primarily used by those who need a faster and safer option for everyday tasks like transporting groceries.
“I acknowledge that e-scooters need to be regulated,” Kinkead said.
However, Kinkead criticized the gray, ambiguous curb, e-scooters have been kicked to the curb since current laws allow individuals to purchase them but not ride them.
“We have a huge gap in our law right now that doesn’t allow for this really important new micromobility option but also doesn’t allow our police and our municipalities to regulate them,” Kinkead said.
In light of an e-scooter accident which resulted in the death of 12-year-old Abby Gillen, Delaware County Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, brought an amendment for specific regulations on minors and a cap on scooter speed at 20 miles per hour.
Kinkead proposed a similar bill in 2024. Yet to be considered by the House or gain further traction, the 2024 bill failed to bring e-scooters back to Pittsburgh.
“It’s been a tough ride to get here,” said chief officer of the Transportation Committee Ed Neilson, acknowledging Kinkead’s consistent efforts to legalize e-scooters.
Kinkead hopes her new legislation will successfully address the issues from the previous Pittsburgh pilot program and will allow other municipalities to choose whether they want to put in place an e-scooter sharing program.
While recognizing, the freedom Kinkead’s bill provides to each municipality, Republican Rep. Isaac Shaffer of Allegheny County worried this strategy might just create another “patchwork of neighboring municipalities,” where individuals could find themselves unknowingly breaking the law or stranded between participating and nonparticipating municipalities.
“People don’t know where these municipalities converge,” Shaffer said.
Kinkead held that geofencing mechanisms can keep such things from happening by turning off the scooter if they pass a certain boundary. During the previous pilot program this feature was used to keep e-scooters from Pittsburgh tunnels where their average speed of 15 miles per hour kept clogging up traffic.
Although the proposed bill faces similar challenges as its predecessor did in 2024, movement in the Senate regarding a separate e-scooter bill suggests Kinkead’s bill may garner more support.
This separate bill similarly offers voluntary programs, allowing slow speed scooters to be used in cities with populations of less than 1 million. Sponsored by Republican Sen. Devlin Robison of Allegheny County, the bill has received bipartisan support.
Kinkead’s bill now awaits committee approval before it can be passed in the House.
