After speaking with UCCS’ director of sustainability, The Scribe discussed the presence of Lime e-scooters on campus and their impact with executive director of parking and transportation Jim Spice and UCCS chief of police Dewayne McCarver.
The e-scooter company, Lime Micromobility, introduced their scooters to downtown Colorado Springs two years ago, but they have found their way to UCCS and immediately shut down due to regulations.
At this time there is no data provided about how many scooters have been abandoned on and around campus property, but Spice said people have complained about sustainability concerns associated with environmental impacts of lithium ion batteries.
However, Lime reports that travel with their renewable energy powered e-vehicles uses 75% less carbon in comparison to a fossil fuel powered vehicle, and additional data found that their new interchangeable battery in their Gen4 e-bikes is 96% recyclable.
McCarver noted that the deactivated scooters have posed no risk to the campus community, and he said that anyone can relocate the scooters should they become one.
“Anyone may move a mis-parked scooter to a proper location. Or, to report e-scooters that are parked improperly, blocking the public right of way, or abandoned, contact the company directly,” he said.
After this initial launch of the program, Lime and their locally associated partnerships intend to continue the implementation of this micro-mobility program long-term to provide alternate commuter options for pedestrian transportation.
According to Spice, UCCS does not intend to partner with the program due to lack of necessity for the e-scooters.
“There has been past interest in us having partnerships with scooter and/or e-bike rental vendors, but there are many concerns including financial, logistical, safety and parking storage that would need to be investigated thoroughly and worked out before a partnership could exist.” Spice said.
Information regarding the map of regulated zones—community questions or concerns, reporting rules and regulations outlined by Lime—can be directed to their website. Students can also find reporting information on the scooters themselves.