Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1490194
4 UCW JANUARY 18 - 24, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM In a community of our size that is deficient in attractive gateways, greenways, sidewalks and bike paths, the Fayetteville City Council has chosen to mimic the trendy ideas of other cities despite their documented hazards and dubious positive effects on the community. I'm referring to the Fayetteville City Council's proposal for creating a shared transportation system utiliz- ing electric scooters in downtown Fayetteville and other areas of the city. Yep, only our city leadership would advocate for an initiative that has a history of plaguing other metropolitan cities with the hazards and dangers of electric bicycles and two-wheeled scooters. Well, in this case, our Council may be putting the proverbial "cart before the horse." First, "Micro-mobility" (B***S*** name for Mechanical Litter) may be more feasible in large cities and municipalities, however, Fayetteville is not Dallas, San Francisco or New York City. We're not even on the level of Winston-Salem or Durham. And, though e-scooters may be perfect for short-distant trips, in downtown Fayetteville all trips are short trips. Second, alternative vehicles such as electric bikes and scooters op- erate best in areas with sufficient pedestrian pathways and adequate bike paths. Fayetteville has neither. Sure, the City Council has committed bond funds for creating more bike lanes and pedestrian walkways in Fayetteville but those plans are still on the drawing board, and no telling how long it will take to complete. Of course, organizations like the Downtown Alliance are most likely to be skeptical of the proposal because astute businesses are acutely aware of what negatively affects their busi- ness. In addition, downtown merchants are acutely aware of what messages come out of City Hall. ey do not necessarily lie but most commonly are configured as 'half-truths.' For instance, the city contends that downtown merchants really don't understand the proposed draft ordinance and that they have misin- terpreted what is proposed. After all, the city's draft ordinance clearly states that electric scooters and bicycles would not be allowed to be ridden on sidewalks. Really? So, we are to believe that our City Coun- cil and staff are more knowledgeable about this subject than say Con- sumer Report, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the Consumer Product Safety Commission? Oh, and guess what? IIHS finds that riding on sidewalks IS dangerous for riders and pedestrians, and they have found that without a concrete plan of where and how e-scooters can be operated, they will pose safety risks for both riders and pedestrians. e rapid growth of this industry has left municipal leaders struggling to keep up with general traffic impact and rising safety problems. Accord- ing to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, e-scooters resulted in an estimated 50,000 emergency department visits, and at least 27 fa- talities between 2017 and 2019, with injuries and deaths rising every year. Our city officials would like to you think that other cities like Raleigh, Durham, Winston-Salem, Greens- boro, Greenville and Charlotte all have successfully implemented e-scooter programs and these serve as a positive endorsement that this is a good thing for our community. Wrong! at's another half-truth. First of all, we are NOT Raleigh, Durham, Winston-Salem, Greens- boro, Greenville. Second, Fayetteville has one of the worst traffic accident records in the state and one of the highest motor- cycle accident fatality rates. When the e Charlotte Observer reports in 2019 that statewide crash data shows 34 crashes resulting in serious e-scooter injuries and identifies them as 15 in Charlotte, 17 in Raleigh, and one each in Winston-Salem and Greensboro with another 17 crashes in these two cities that caused only property damage. And, in addition, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation, many e-scooter accidents go unre- ported. So, there you have it! I am not a fan of "Micro Mobility." It is my hope the Council comes to its senses and fully understands the burden of liability it will take on if they issue permits for these types of vehicles. e city would be wise to follow the gut instincts of the residents, organizations and business stake- holders downtown. ey are correct : e-scooter vehicles are dangerous, a nuisance, and a hazard to pedestri- ans, and will ultimately appear as unsightly mechanical litter on the streets of downtown. In closing, for Council members like Councilman Mario Benavente who favor finding positive ways to expand downtown, may I suggest you focus on homelessness, panhandlers, parking, crime, litter and of course, shopping carts! ank you for reading Up & Com- ing Weekly. STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com MANAGING EDITOR April Olsen editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Hannah Lee assistanteditor@upandcomingweekly. com ART DIRECTOR Courtney Sapp-Scott art@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Isaiah Jones graphics@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITERS Alyson Hansen Ashley Shirley Kathleen Ramsey Chayenne Burns Katrina Wilson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Ben Sessoms, Soni Martin, Cynthia Ross COVER "Deterioration" by Angela Stout. Design by Isaiah Jones MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister linda@upandcomingweekly.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER/SALES ADMINISTRATOR Paulette Naylor Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan St. P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: 910-484-6200- FAX: 910-484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and information on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Published weekly on Wednesdays, Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Army Airfield, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. © 2020 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Various ads with art graphics designed with elements from: vecteezy.com and freepik.com. Association of Community Publishers BILL BOWMAN, Publisher. COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. PUBLISHER'S PEN Fayetteville needs to scoot the E-scooters by BILL BOWMAN Fayetteville City Council is moving forward with a plan for a shared active transportation sys- tem that could include powered bicycles and/or powered standing scooters.