WEST HOLLYWOOD—The city of West Hollywood launched its “Dockless Mobility” pilot program on Thursday, July 1, with e-scooters and e-bikes from Bird, Lime, and Wheels. The pilot program launch ceremony is expected to take place in August 2021.
The city will permit the use and operation of e-scooters and e-bikes starting July 1, where Lime and Bird will operate e-scooters; Wheels will operate Class-2 throttle assist e-bikes.
According to a news release from the city of West Hollywood, the pilot program is part of West Hollywood’s efforts to expand its transportation network by supporting a range of environmentally sustainable options to get around the region and to connect to the region-at-large. West Hollywood works regularly with residents, businesses, and the community-at-large to develop innovative solutions to transportation challenges and to balance the needs of people who walk, bike, use transit, and drive in the city.
West Hollywood was voted The Most Walkable City in California by Walk Score, a service that helps promote walkable neighborhoods across the country. Dockless Mobility devices add to the mix by assisting residents in addressing the challenge of “first-mile; last-mile” connectivity to existing transit stops and hubs in the transportation network and will help with car-free local neighborhood-oriented trips.
Both e-scooters and e-bikes will be dockless to ensure they are parked safely and legally, the city’s Long Range Planning Division and Parking Services Division collaborated in the development of several designated Dockless Mobility device parking stations throughout the area. Residents are asked to use the stations for parking, devices can be parked in any off-street location that does not block pedestrian access to the sidewalk; devices should never be parked where it blocks pedestrian activity and access.
Designated parking locations (there is an interactive map) will be marked with visual enhancements during July 2021, and will be in the public-right-of-way (sidewalk areas, providing for sufficient ADA access to pedestrians) adjacent to major intersections including:
-Beverly Boulevard & N. San Vicente Boulevard
-Santa Monica Boulevard & N. Robertson Boulevard
-Santa Monica Boulevard & N. San Vicente Boulevard
-Santa Monica Boulevard & Hancock Avenue
-Santa Monica Boulevard & Westmount Drive
-Santa Monica Boulevard & N. Olive Drive
-Santa Monica Boulevard & N. Crescent Heights Boulevard
-Santa Monica Boulevard & N. Genesee Avenue
-Santa Monica Boulevard & N. Orange Drive
-Lexington Avenue & N. Gardner Street
-Santa Monica Boulevard at Plummer Park
To use e-scooters and e-bikes from Bird, Lime, and Wheels, individuals must create an account with the company of their choice – Bird and Lime for e-scooters and Wheels for Class-2 throttle assist e-bikes:
-Bird – https://www.bird.co
-Lime – https://www.li.me/electric-scooter
-Wheels – https://takewheels.com
Users of e-scooters and e-bikes are required to have a valid driver license or instructional permit and must wear a helmet while riding. Only one person is allowed on a device at a time and e-scooters and e-bikes must be ridden on the road, never on the sidewalk. Users are expected to ride as far to the right side of traffic lane or in designated and marked bike lanes when possible and users must always ride in the direction of traffic.
West Hollywood will oversee management of the Dockless Mobility pilot program through a partnership with ABM, which provides industry-leading transportation and parking management services. ABM will monitor streets and the public-right-of-way to ensure quality of life concerns are addressed, such as uninterrupted pedestrian activity and access.
Issues can be submitted to the city using the Service Request function on the city’s website or through the West Hollywood Official City App, which is available as a free download for iPhone users on the App Store and for Android users on Google Play. Concerns and feedback can be submitted by email at parkingconcerns@weho.org or by phone at (213) 247-7720.
For more details about West Hollywood’s Dockless Mobility Pilot Program, contact Rachel Dimond, Senior Planner, City of West Hollywood Long Range Planning Division, at (323) 848-6486 or rdimond@weho.org; or Coby Wagman, Parking Operations Supervisor, City of West Hollywood Parking Services Division, at (323) 848-6514 or cwagman@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, call TTY (323) 848-6496.
