E-scooter crackdown along Atlanta's BeltLine

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The city of Atlanta is putting the brakes on people who use electric scooters to speed along the BeltLine.

Every night, companies that operate dockless mobility devices must cap speeds at 8 mph.

“This is a safety problem, people going too fast in a congested situation,” says Tim Keane, Commissioner of City Planning. “You have kids and people walking and riding bikes and on skates and everything, so we felt like we needed to and can impose these caps pretty easily and make people safer.”

The enforcement is along the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail from Monroe Drive to DeKalb Avenue.

What is called a Reduced Speed Zone is effective:

• Monday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Friday through Monday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• State holidays.

Keane says the city is considering other alternatives. “We need to limit the number of them, that's one thing. There's the speed, but there's the number of scooters that we have in the city. So, we have to talk to the companies and the community.”

Starting in July, the city will install signs in highly-trafficked pedestrian and scooter areas throughout Atlanta. Green “Park Here” signs will indicate areas where devices can be docked. Bright red “Never Ride on Sidewalks” signs will remind risers the units cannot be operated on city sidewalks.