A new report comes to the reasonable conclusion that cities should be more forceful in controlling their own streets. When the history of the great micromobility wars of 2018 is written, readers will quickly notice a cycle repeating itself. Companies, unbeknownst to city officials, add dockless bikes or scooters to streets and sidewalks. Residents attempt to figure out how to coexist with the flocks of new vehicles cropping up on roadways and right-of-ways. Local officials, responding to public pressure, then ban the vehicles or enact pilot programs to rein in the proliferation of cycles and scooters.
The underlying promise of these vehicles?an accessible, car-free, and more sustainable way to get around the city?can seem a bit utopian when contrasted with the reality that these companies should be vetted, regulated, and evaluated by the cities in which they operate. That?s why ?Guidelines for the Regulation and Management of Shared Active Transportation,? a new report by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) shared with Curbed, comes along at such an interesting time.

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Bird scooter users on Venice Beach in Los Angeles.

The guidelines lay out potential rules and regulations for the nascent?and fast-growing? world of electric scooters and dockless bikeshare, collating current examples from more than a dozen cities with existing policies, permitting fees, and ideas for equity programming.
In many res...