San Francisco pedestrians speak up: micromobility survey results
One of the actions in Mayor Lurie’s Street Safety Initiative is to develop a plan to better manage the growing number of micromobility devices on our streets (e-scooters, e-bikes, e-motos, and e-mopeds).
Regulation has seriously lagged in addressing this new era in transportation, plus street infrastructure falls far short of what’s needed given how many people are using these micromobility devices.
And while motor vehicles remain by far the biggest danger we face getting around, micromobility devices have introduced new safety issues on both our streets and sidewalks.
Walk SF recently asked you to share what you’re experiencing as a pedestrian as you get around San Francisco in regards to micromobility devices. Almost 300 of you shared your thoughts!
Your responses show how deeply San Franciscans care about pedestrian safety – and making it better – which is what Walk SF is all about. Here is what rose to the top in the survey results.
E-scooters and delivery e-motos are biggest concern
27.7% of respondents report daily issues involving shared e-scooters and 25.2% report daily issues involving food delivery e-motos.
When we look at people experiencing safety issues at least a few times per week, 55.3% reported significant safety concerns with shared e-scooters at least weekly and 49.6% for food delivery e-motos.
E-bikes (both shared e-bikes and privately owned) generated far fewer frequent safety concerns than other device types. 60% of respondents reported experiencing safety issues involving shared or private e-bikes rarely or never.
Close calls are common, and serious injuries are real
The survey asked pedestrians whether respondents had experienced dangerous incidents involving micromobility devices.
- 70% reported a close call without a collision
- 18% reported tripping over a device
- 8% reported being hit by a device while walking
One respondent was hit on July 4th while walking to the fireworks: “I was on an extremely crowded sidewalk and hit by two adult men on a Lime scooter. It tore my rotator cuff, and I needed months of therapy.”
And a collision doesn’t have to happen for someone to be seriously injured. A respondent who identified as a senior was cut off in an intersection by an e-scooter: “It caused me to fall flat on my face and break my pubic bone. Several kind people helped me get out of the intersection onto the curb. I had to go straight to the ER.”
Just like close calls can be dangerous, so can improperly parked scooters, which create tripping hazards.
One respondent was talking to an attendant on the sidewalk in front of a store: “I took a step back and tripped over the low part of a scooter parked across the sidewalk. I broke three ribs in multiple locations and completely tore a tendon in my shoulder.”
Forging meaningful solutions
In terms of what respondents think will best address safety issues, a wide range of ideas were shared. Some want stronger regulations and tougher enforcement. Others feel better infrastructure should be the priority, pointing out that people sometimes ride on sidewalks because they don’t feel safe in the street. But the common thread is that people want solutions to reduce conflicts – and that sidewalk space is not currently the refuge it should be for pedestrians.
Walk SF is actively researching which solutions will make the biggest difference for safety in regards to micromobility devices. We will release our policy recommendations later this fall – and will then need your help pushing for City leaders to adopt and implement them.
In the meantime, thank you again for sharing your perspectives to shape our work!
About the survey: Responses describe perceived and experienced safety concerns rather than independently verified incident rates or comparative injury risks.
