Shared Micromobility Pilot

Hi Fergman, thanks for sharing your ideas for how safety and mobility could be improved on North Avenue.  Since North Avenue serves as US route 6 through Grand Junction, the State of Colorado maintains a lot of control of the corridor, and our ability to reallocate roadway width is more limited than on other important corridors in the city.  That said, the city and county are working collaboratively with the state DOT on North Avenue Enhanced Transit Corridor implementation projects.  I hope we are able to make it a safer and more comfortable place for a variety of road users.

Hi Dboe, one of the advantages of micromobility is the small size of the vehicles, meaning that within one parking stall, which could be used by one patron of our downtown businesses, up to a dozen or more people could travel downtown and occupy the same footprint.  That said, we are actively monitoring the utilization of the parking corrals and moving them out of parking stalls and into buffer space when possible.

Hi Fergman, I'm glad you are looking forward to using this new mode during the pilot.  Throughout most of the Pilot Area, you may park your device directly at your destination (as long as it is not blocking the sidewalk or public or private access).  Only within the Downtown zone, CMU zone, or certain parks, including Canyon View, Lincoln, and Riverfront do you have to locate a corral to end your trip.  Those corral locations are visually demarked on the street as well as within the Bird or Lime app.

Hi James, thanks for providing your perspective and experience with shared micromobility.  When available and safe, it is recommended that scooter riders use cycle lanes.  In our busiest corridors downtown, users are prohibited from riding on sidewalks on Main Street and Colorado Ave between 1st and 7th St and on 7th St from Colorado to Grand.  In other parts of the city, where sidewalk riding is allowed, consistent with sidewalk bicycle riding, the speed limit on sidewalks is 6 MPH per city ordinance.

Regarding parking, we do have certain areas of the city where scooters must be left in designated areas to help keep things organized in those busy areas like downtown.

While the costs may be higher than using your own bicycle, certain users may find value in saving time over walking, having more fun than driving, or not having to worry about security or maintenance of their personally owned micromobility device.

Hi Ryleigh, while the city is not paying for the upkeep of the scooter system, each of the operators will be responsible for keeping the fleet charged and distributed around town.

Hi Steve, each operator is allowed to set their own pricing, but typical prices are around $1 to unlock a device and $0.40/minute.  I think a typical ride from CMU to downtown would cost around $4.

Hi Cbott, micromobility devices have been a key piece of the transportation puzzle in Grand Junction for generations, but the shared model being piloted now does offer key benefits, such as users not having to worry about theft or maintenance, when compared with using a personally owned device.  Additionally, these new shared devices could make it easier to mix modes; for example, a parent could ride a scooter from their place of work to school in the afternoon to pick up and then walk home with their child - a trip which may have been challenging with another mode.

Safety procedures for the e-scooters include an orientation the first time you use a given app in Grand Junction, which will walk users through guidelines for helmet wearing, acceptable speeds, and other key points. I encourage you to download one or both of the apps to see what is included in this orientation.