On Nov. 10, the Clemson University Police Department reached out to the Clemson student body stating that the “danger presented by e-scooters must be addressed.”
As e-scooters have become an increasingly popular mode of transportation among Clemson students, concerns about e-scooter accidents and rules are on the rise.
CUPD confirmed that there have been several e-scooter accidents at Clemson that have led to injuries that required medical attention.
CUPD announced that they will soon begin a “multi-pronged approach to address this emerging safety concern on campus,” and are attempting to partner with scooter operators to change their behavior voluntarily, rather than by enforcing disciplinary action.
Beginning Nov. 15, officers will begin issuing warnings for observed violations, according to CUPD. On Dec. 1, CUPD will begin issuing citations for “careless and reckless operation” and referring cases to the Office of Community and Ethical Standards.
On Nov. 14, during the Clemson Undergraduate Student Government meeting, Student Senator Felder Fogle, the committee chair for Student Life, told The Tiger that “the general consensus among the majority of Clemson students, except the students that operate their own scooters, is that they support the new CUPD policy and its future enforcement plans.”
When asked by The Tiger about how CUPD is going to enforce the new policy going forward, Fogle stated, “I am not 100% sure.”
According to Fogle, it is unclear how the department will enforce the “rules-of-the-road for micro-mobility devices” starting next month.
Students should follow the same rules as if operating a bicycle. Scooter riders should obey traffic laws, use designated bike lanes and follow all previous traffic safety laws, including not riding on most sidewalks.
It is recommended that scooters be parked or secured at bike racks outside facilities. Bike rack locations can be found online at my.Clemson — Transit, Biking, click the box for Bike Racks.
Scooters should not be secured to handrails at stairs and ramps outside of buildings, according to Clemson News. Bringing and parking scooters inside Clemson facilities can present various fire, safety and accessibility hazards.
Clemson News also claims that it is important that scooters are not parked inside buildings, in pathways of pedestrians, stairwells, elevators, vehicle parking spaces and other areas blocking entrances or exits. Scooters found parked in a manner that causes hazards may be confiscated.
