In an effort to make sidewalks more pedestrian friendly to Calgarians, the city is going to tryout new parking stalls for e-scooters.
City officials say they are piloting “e-scooter corrals” after getting feedback from residents over the last few years.
“A common concern is that shared e-scooters are parked haphazardly in busy pedestrian areas,” says Andrew Sedor, Mobility Initiative Lead with the City of Calgary, in a statement. “We are using a multitude of tools to help address this issue.”
He says the city will try out the corrals along a section of 17 Avenue SW between 4 Street and 8 Street SW. The parking spots for the vehicles along that stretch are geofenced, and the corrals highlight where the geofenced spots are.
Geofencing means the scooters can only be parked in designated zones. Shared e-scooter cannot be ridden on that section of 17 Avenue SW and must be walked to the parking spots from adjoining streets.
READ MORE: E-scooters blocking Calgary sidewalks create accessibility problems
Sedor says the corrals are being funded through fees the city collects from e-scooter companies.
“If the corrals are shown to be successful on 17 Avenue SW, we will be expanding them to other busy areas of the city,” says Sedor.
In Calgary, people can ride shared e-scooters on bicycle lanes, pathways, empty sidewalks and roads with lower speed limits and traffic volume. E-scooters are not allowed on busy roads like Macleod Trail.