Neighbors near Alki Beach Park dealing with 'Scooter invasion'

Neighbors dealing with 'Scooter invasion' at Alki Beach

Some neighbors who live near Alki Beach Park tell Q13 News there are dozens of scooters at one designated parking location.

SEATTLE - Some neighbors near Alki Beach Park in West Seattle are unhappy with the dozens of scooters that are at one of the designated parking locations on Alki Avenue and 55th Avenue.

"The advent of the scooter invasion is driving everybody on this block nuts," said Lee Kelly. "There’s only like six to 12 at most kiosks and over here we’ve had 91."

The scooter share pilot program in Seattle has been popular since it first launched last fall. There have been about 600,000 scooter rides, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

Kelly said he and his neighbors are not anti-scooter, but they would like some of their concerns addressed.

"I think the main thing is there’s just way too many right here," said neighbor Andrew Nelson. "If they spread them out, I think it would be a lot easier."

Neighbors said the scooters are more than just an eyesore. Kelly said people at times are reckless when riding them. The scooters can also be noisy when starting up, or when alerting riders to get off the sidewalk.

"Turn the speed down a little bit and encourage the customer to leave them in the correct spaces," said Kelly.

Recently, SDOT began testing new scooter parking rules along Alki Beach to address existing issues. A spokesperson said it was especially to respond to scooters that are left blocking the sidewalk and creating barriers for people with disabilities or limited vision.

"While it’s too early to draw definitive conclusions, we have seen a very noticeable drop in the number of improperly parked scooters blocking the sidewalk since we began the test a little over a week ago. We are encouraged by these initial observations and also hopeful that we’ll be able to find a solution addressing the issue you describe in this one parking location so that program works well for everyone," said SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson.

Bergerson also told Q13 News that one of the requirements written into each scooter company’s permit with the city of Seattle is that each company should distribute scooters throughout the city and not leave too many parked on a single block.

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