Electric Scooters Coming To Howard County

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — For the past year, Howard County has worked toward creating a more "multi-modal" community by funding $2.2 million for bicycle infrastructure projects, passing complete streets legislation and expanding RTA bus hours and routes. Now, the county is developing a permitting process that would allow electric scooters to zip around public areas as yet another form of transportation.

Legislation that would update the county code is being considered by the County Council and would allow electric scooter sharing companies to operate in public areas, such as pathways, streets, sidewalks and bike lanes. The update also will add the definition of electric low speed scooters, bringing the county code into agreement with state code.

“We’re planning ahead to ensure that when scooters do arrive, they are safe, accessible and work within our current infrastructure," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.

The electric scooter sharing system permit process will be managed by the Howard County Office of Transportation and is expected to begin in May 2020. The permit will dictate the parameters that the scooter sharing companies must operate under, including the speed of the scooters, where they can be parked, minimum and maximum quantities, operator response time, data sharing, insurance requirements and permit fees.

“E-scooters can provide an additional transportation option and extend the reach of our transit system, but they do need to be managed and operated in a responsible way to keep our streets, sidewalks and pathways safe. This permit process will help accentuate the positives and minimize any negatives of shared electric scooters in Howard County,” said Howard County Office of Transportation Administrator Bruce Gartner in a statement.