I guess I’m mostly OK with this.
Mayor John Whitmire
The Houston City Council voted Wednesday to establish a citywide curfew on electric scooter use and rentals between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., citing what officials called a growing public safety risk downtown.
The measure follows months of debate over how to regulate electric scooters and other micromobility transportation. Mayor John Whitmire said a surge of reckless nighttime riding has become “one of the city’s No. 1 security risks,” pointing to repeated complaints from hotels and businesses near Discovery Green and the George R. Brown Convention Center.
“Not only are Houston First’s activities, but obviously Discovery Green, out hotels, and our sports venues are being jeopardized,” Whitmire said.
At council, he recalled leaving a recent Dynamo game and having to step off the sidewalk to let scooter riders pass. He also mentioned a recent incident in which a resident of a high-rise near Discovery Green reported a bullet fired through the building’s lobby, which Whitmire suggested was linked to scooter activity.
The city’s enforcement data shows 129 scooters seized, 74 impounded, 53 vendor warnings, 13 vendor citations, 3,016 rider warnings, 51 rider citations, five guns seized and eight arrests. No deaths were reflected in the city’s data. Meanwhile, Houston last year recorded its deadliest year on record for vehicle drivers, passengers and pedestrians, with 345 people killed on Houston-area streets, a record high after two years of declines.
Under the new rules, riding or renting an electric scooter or other “micromobility device” between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. is prohibited citywide. The same curfew applies to off-highway vehicles such as ATVs. Scooters used for commuting to work or school, in emergencies, or by first responders and city employees are exempt. Devices operated in violation may be impounded and subject to fines of up to $500 per offense.
The ordinance also bans temporary pop-up rental stands and requires all rentals to come from permitted brick-and-mortar vendors.
The curfew replaces an earlier proposal that would have banned scooters entirely within downtown, Midtown, and East Downtown. After months of public feedback, city officials shifted to a time-based restriction meant to curb late-night “joyriding” while preserving commuter use.
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On Tuesday, Houston First Corporation, which oversees the city’s convention and tourism efforts, urged council to approve the measure, citing widespread complaints from hotels and downtown businesses about unsafe riding and blocked sidewalks.
Houston First President and CEO Michael Heckman said scooters in downtown “are being rented for entertainment and often mischievous use around areas unintended for motorized scooters.”
Martinez and Council Member Twila Carter both sit on the Houston First board.
Mobility and equity advocates, however, argued the process was rushed and could lead to over-policing. Ed Pettitt, vice president of the Greater Third Ward Super Neighborhood, emailed council members Tuesday night urging them to delay the vote, warning that the ordinance misinterprets safety data and could invite pretextual policing.
Jake Cooper, founder of Rent EBoards, said the city’s decision to scale back its original ban was “a step in the right direction,” but he remains wary of the curfew’s reach.
“Ideally, you wouldn’t need a curfew — people should be able to ride whenever as long as they’re doing it safely and responsibly,” he said. “We should enforce the rules we already have instead of adding new ones.”
See here and here for some background. I still agree with the position that maybe we should try enforcing the existing ordinances first – that was Mayor Whitmire’s priority for improving road safety, more enforcement – but if we must amend the existing ordinances then a curfew that includes exemptions for commuters and emergencies is palatable. Now please follow this up in a year with a report on how effective the new ordinance was. Houston Public Media and Emily Hynds have more.