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Dockless scooters removed from Shoal Creek Trail

Thursday, January 24, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns

Just days after a new pilot program from the Parks and Recreation Department allowed electric bikes and scooters on five Austin trails, City Council Member Alison Alter sponsored an item at Council’s Dec. 13 meeting further truncating the already limited program. The scope of Parks and Rec’s original plan included the entirety of Johnson Creek, Shoal Creek, Northern Walnut Creek Trail, Southern Walnut Creek Trail, and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail. The Butler Trail will allow electric bikes only. However, Alter’s spokesperson April Brown explained that Alter felt limiting scooter traffic north of 15th Street on the Shoal Creek Trail was necessary for safety. “There’s a lot more loose gravel (and Alter) believes it’s safer for the scooters to traverse the sidewalks,” Brown told the Austin Monitor. She noted that north of 15th Street, scooters may go on the sidewalk that winds along adjacent to the trail. The amendment to the Parks and Rec plan passed on consent at Council. Aside from the pilot program, motorized vehicles are still prohibited from public recreational areas and any trails maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department and not specifically included in the pilot.

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