Title
Communication from Mayor William Peduto submitting an Executive Order relative to the authorization of a low-speed electric scooter pilot in the City of Pittsburgh.
Body
WHEREAS, the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) is responsible for the transportation of people and goods throughout the City of Pittsburgh, and for managing the operation of and access to the public right-of-way (the sidewalks, curbs, streets, and bridges that make up our network); and,
WHEREAS, transportation mobility is the single largest factor in household economic mobility; and,
WHEREAS, the goals of the Department are to promote safe travel, increase access to goods, services and opportunity, reduce automobile use for very short distance trips, reduce household transportation costs, and ensure an orderly and equitable transportation system; and,
WHEREAS, one in five Pittsburgh households do not own an automobile; and,
WHEREAS, 52 percent of Pittsburgh residents live farther than one-quarter mile from frequent transit service (defined as transit service every fifteen minutes for fifteen hours of the day and every thirty minutes for an additional five hours of the day, seven days a week); and,
WHEREAS, one-quarter of motor vehicle trips driven in the City of Pittsburgh are less than one-mile in distance and 40 percent of motor vehicle trips are less than two miles in length; and,
WHEREAS, roughly 98% of the U.S. motor vehicle fleet have internal combustion engines releasing emissions associated with climate change and human health impacts; and, whereas communities of color and/or low-income residents bear a disproportionate share of these impacts; and,
WHEREAS, small electric- or human-powered devices such as bicycles and scooters have demonstrated utility in increasing access to high frequency transit, providing a cleaner alternative to short distance automobile trips, and expanding low-cost, low-emission, flexible, on-demand travel; and,
WHEREAS, these devices can potentially serve the mission and several mobility goals established by DOMI; and,
WHEREAS, in 2018, the City of Pittsburgh’s Office of Management & Budget, on behalf of DOMI, issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit a single partner to organize an integrated coalition of mobility providers and services for a two year demonstration period.
WHEREAS, the Pittsburgh Mobility Collective (PMC), with Spin as its designated representative, provided a response to the RFP and was selected through the competitive submission process; and,
WHEREAS, through this process and the resulting “Pittsburgh Mobility Collective Memorandum of Understanding”, Spin has been designated as the City of Pittsburgh’s qualified electric micro-mobility service provider who will exclusively design, build, operate, maintain, manage, and market a modern Shared Micro-Mobility System for a pilot period through a network of publicly accessible electric low-speed scooters located throughout the City; and,
WHEREAS, the Shared Micro-Mobility System would be accessible to individuals within the City limits, and serve as an additional option within the mobility ecosystem of the City; and,
WHEREAS, in order to authorize this micromobility pilot project, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has passed legislation to regulate electric low-speed scooters within the boundaries of a city of a second class which has issued an executive order to authorize the deployment of a limited fleet of electric low-speed scooters; and,
WHEREAS, any authorization granted to the City of Pittsburgh is limited to the bounds defined by the legislative bill HB1348, and does not apply to any privately owned forms of unregulated micromobility,
NOW, THEREFORE, I, William Peduto, Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, by the virtue of the authority vested in me by the City Charter and laws of the City of Pittsburgh do hereby direct the following actions:
1. The Director of the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (“Director”) is authorized to develop appropriate policies, permits and regulations to enable a low-speed electric shared scooter pilot program in the City of Pittsburgh. The Director shall have the authority and responsibility to:
a. Develop and implement trial regulations in accordance with § 503.02 of the Pittsburgh Municipal Code of Ordinances and Pennsylvania HB1348 Article XVI - Q,
b. Propagate and issue guidance for the operation of dockless micromobility devices and services applicable to the operation of shared, electric low-speed scooters.
c. Subject to the authorization of City Council, enter into a cooperation agreement with, and thereafter issue an operation permit to, a single partner for a “Micro-mobility Pilot Project”, constrained to a limited fleet of electric low-speed scooters within the boundaries of the City of Pittsburgh.
d. Develop permit terms and conditions that dictate the requirements related to device form factor, fleet management, operation, parking, in-app experiences, user education, geofencing, maintenance, equity requirements, data-sharing agreements, financial requirements, insurance, and indemnity.
e. Work collaboratively with all relevant City departments, authorities, agencies, boards and commissions in the development of these policies, permits and regulations.
2. The chosen entity partner who operates and manages electric low-speed scooters for the Micro-mobility Pilot Project shall be required to conduct the service in accordance with all relevant Federal, State, and Local laws, regulations, rules, and requirements. This includes all rules and requirements outlined in Pennsylvania HB1348 Article XVI - Q, and the terms and conditions of the operation permit issued by DOMI.
3. The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure shall submit the report mandated Pennsylvania HB1348 Article XVI - Q subsection(M), no less than sixty (60) days prior to pilot expiration, to the Mayor and City Council, in addition to other required parties, evaluating the performance of the Micro-mobility Pilot Project, including an assessment on use, complaints, safety, and effect on existing transportation services.
4. The Director of the Department of Public Safety shall direct staff to enforce the regulations associated to electric low-speed scooters.
The term of the pilot shall last for a period of two years.