By: Ailyn Quiroz

Staff Writer

The Student Government Association (SGA) talked about how scooters are affecting VSU campus at its first general meeting of the semester on Sept. 14. 

Scooters was a hot topic for the organization, specifically the damage they often cause.  

“The University System of Georgia (USG) were getting a lot of reports from universities overall of possible lithium battery fires,” explained Adrian Torres, SGA vice president.   

Other reports regarding scooters and other small electric vehicles on USG universities were of damage to floors, scooters cluttering hallways, and speeding across campus.    

“So, they wanted us to reflect on it and see what solutions we have, so that’s what we’re trying to do — shape that decision and see what VSU is going to do about it,” said Torres.  

Many universities in Georgia have their own solutions, such as University of Georgia providing e-scooter and micromobility safety guidance and Georgia Tech with their bicycle and personal mobility device policy. Middle Georgia State University has its residence-life policies and regulations, and Kennesaw State University has its comprehensive micromobility rules and regulations.  

When taking a vote on considering banning scooters from campus, no senator approved of the ban. 

Senators then discussed how to proceed regarding scooters. 

“I believe scooters can continue to be a valuable form of transportation on campus when they are used responsibly,” said Senator Jean Garcia. “Rather than banning scooters, we should focus on creating clear expectations for their use and addressing the safety concerns.” 

Most of these policies in the USG include banning scooters in buildings including buses, keeping them in designated bike racks, following traffic laws, using bike lanes, and registering their bikes and scooters with the police department. 

“This could include designated covered scooter parking areas, speeding and riding guidelines, and education for students about proper scooter use, while still allowing students to have access to a convenient and affordable way to get around campus” explained Garcia.  

As of Sept. 29, a survey was sent to students by Senator Terry Martin to get their thoughts on e-scooters and e-bikes. Responses were from 7.5% freshmen, 20% sophomores, 12.9% juniors, and 1.4% seniors. 

“Regarding pedestrian safety, students were concerned about being hit or nearly hit by scooters and want riders to slow down and be aware of pedestrians,” explained Martin. 

Their main concerns in the survey were protection, safety, speeding, driving behavior, clear riding routes, parking and storage, education enforcement, and parking garage security. 

“About clear riding rules, students want to know where e-bikes and e-scooters can operate. For parking, students want more destinated areas, particularly in resident halls and palms,” he continued. “Finally in education enforcement, students want to rider education enforcement of safety expectations and better security in the parking garage.” 

Students with concerns about scooters or anything else they want discussed by SGA can fill out the Student Concern Form on the VSU SGA website.