Bloomington residents must abide by new rules when riding e-scooters.
The Bloomington City government has required e-scooter companies to restrict access to their scooters between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily, according to a Facebook post from the Office of the Mayor. The new curfew will go into effect Oct. 13 and will last through the winter.
The new rules come after two e-scooter accidents this semester resulted in deaths of IU students. In August, an 18-year-old freshman died after an accident on 10th Street near Wells Library. Another rider was killed in an alleged a hit-and-run incident in September on North Walnut Street.
Related: [20-year-old man dead after being hit by car while riding e-scooter]
The city released a set of guidelines for e-scooter use Tuesday.
When on the road, riders are required to obey the same rules as cars, including stopping at stop signs and stoplights, signaling turns and following the traffic directions, according to the release.
Scooters can also be used on multiuse trails, paths and uncrowded sidewalks, according to the release. Riders in these areas must follow the same rules as bicycles, such as yielding to pedestrians, passing pedestrians at a distance of 3 or more feet, alerting vehicles and pedestrians with an audible signal before passing, not suddenly moving into the path of another pedestrian or vehicle and paying special attention to avoid startling visually impaired pedestrians.
Riders who do not follow the rules could be subject to fines consistent with Indiana law and the Bloomington Municipal Code, according to the release.
Related: [OPINION: Abolish scooters on IU's campus]
The release lists several restricted “Dismount Zones” where riders are not allowed on crosswalks and sidewalks. Most of these locations are around the city center area of Bloomington.
Bloomington’s City Council passed an ordinance in 2019 regulating the use of e-scooters by setting a top speed of 15 miles per hour and clarifying that e-scooters can be used on sidewalks except in dismount zones.
