Are e-scooters on campus becoming dangerous and disruptive for Temple University students? How many times have you been on campus and gotten almost run over by an e-scooter? Now, how many times have you seen the scooters and gone on about your day?
Temple University policy on e-Scooters and personal mobility devices states that “Personal mobility devices (PMDs) — including e-scooters — are permitted on campus when used responsibly and in accordance with University policy. Temple is a pedestrian-priority campus, and safety comes first.”
The policy includes safety regulations such as yielding to pedestrians, riding cautiously on roadways and walkways, and always wearing helmets.
Yolani Baron, a junior at Temple University and president of two campus organizations, Project26 and Queer Student Union, shares an incident that shows the danger of e-scooters. Baron states, “The second day after I moved into my apartment, I was walking my dog on campus, and a person on a scooter hit my dog and cursed me out; mind you, my dog leash was close to me, and he was coming from behind!”
Baron continues by saying, “They did not apologize, and my dog screamed. I genuinely was shaking and ran into the nearest store to check on him.”
Scenarios similar to Yolani Baron’s displays how e-scooters can become a disturbance to students. Fortunately, no one was harmed after that incident.
Temple University students have also expressed concerns about e-scooters and how they believe it can be unsafe while walking through campus. In a poll of 36 college students. 20 students voted that they were unsafe, while others said they were not bothered by the riders.
A former student at Temple shared their opinion on the matter and why they believe the e-scooters are dangerous for a college campus overall. They said, “There’s practically no safety regulations.”
Though there is a policy mandated by Temple’s public safety department, students have noticed that it is not enforced due to reckless riding on campus.
The former student continued saying, “They ride on the sidewalks despite the scooters having a literal motor because there are hardly any bike lanes, and most people don’t wear helmets.”
On the other hand, why don’t e-scooters bother the other half of the students?
Thivya Sivarupen, a senior and president of the sorority Delta Kappa Delta, shares her thoughts on why she is unfazed by the e-scooters. Sivarupen said, “As someone who has always walked to classes or anywhere on campus, I’ve never been bothered by e-scooters because it’s their preferred mode of transportation.”
Sivarupen continues, “They stay out of the way of people, and I have never seen anyone being reckless with them, you only see people on their scooters for a couple of seconds when they pass by you.”
After hearing both sides of the e-scooter debate, whether you hate them or aren’t fazed by them, it ultimately comes down to experience. Some people have encountered traumatic situations that were either dangerous to them or their pets, while others don’t seem to think too much about the issue.
As for Temple’s public safety department, my concluding question is how will it address pedestrians’ concerns? Will they enforce regulations strictly so that everyone on campus is safe or continue to allow e-scooter riders to continue their preferred mode of transportation with limited disciplinary actions.