NYC councilman wants to end e-scooter share program in his Queens district

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) -- New York City's e-scooter share program in Eastern Queens is well underway.

But now, a New York City Council member said he wants the program canceled in his district immediately.

“It’s been a total disaster. These scooters are a blight. They are a menace," New York City Council member James Gennaro said.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) first launched the program in the East Bronx in 2021. This summer, it expanded the program to 20 square miles in Queens.

Ever since, users have left them all over neighborhood streets and sidewalks, according to Gennaro. He said they are dangerous. 

“They are an impediment to street traffic. They are a trip hazard. They leave them all over the place," Gennaro said. “They don’t wear helmets. Come very close to people, scare people. They go into traffic and are a hazard, not to just themselves or others on the road.”

So far, an average trip in Queens has been around 1 mile, most starting and ending in the same district. The city said that demonstrates the scooters are connecting people to mass transit, as intended. 

The DOT added in a statement: “E-scooter share is just getting started in Eastern Queens and we are very excited to build upon the successful East Bronx program. We've already recorded nearly 230,000 trips in the borough, and we’ll be making adjustments based on feedback we’ve heard to support this well-used, safe, and environmentally sustainable option to get around.”

Queens resident Anam Nayyab just bought her new e-scooter last week. She calls it a lifesaver.

“It’s fast. You don’t have to find parking and it’s fun," Nayyab said.

Nayyab keeps her e-scooter inside her home since she owns it and plans to buy a helmet. She does understand why some residents and the City Council member aren’t on board with the share program.

Nayyab wants to see more enforcement if people leave the e-scooters around and for users to be more careful when they drive them.

“It’s convenient for people, but it’s also very risky when cars are going fast,” Nayyab said.

The DOT said it is working on creating more designated parking corrals for the e-scooter program. It’s also installed several no-riding or no-parking zones based on community feedback.

The DOT encourages residents who find inappropriately parked scooters to report them.