Chelsea police want 90 days to get a handle on unsafe electric scooters, and a way to make young riders learn the rules before they get a confiscated scooter back. Police Chief Keith Houghton and three captains laid out the plan, which they call the “Chelsea Safe Scooter Initiative,” at the City Council’s Sub-Committee on Public Safety on Monday, September 28, according to the minutes posted September 29. The meeting was held in Committee Room 305 at City Hall, which is not streamed.
What the police proposed
The 90-day initiative has four parts, according to the minutes:
- directed enforcement details aimed at unsafe riding
- a standardized roadside process for classifying devices, so officers can tell what kind of vehicle they are dealing with
- a review of the city’s existing ordinances
- a public education and outreach campaign
Captain Jason Farden said the department has begun working toward a partnership with Teen Rider Academy, which runs an online safety course for Massachusetts youth covering the rules of the road, riding around traffic and pedestrians, helmet and battery safety, common road hazards and decision-making. Once it is in place, the course will be open to all Chelsea residents. Houghton suggested requiring young riders whose scooters are confiscated for unsafe use to take and pass the course before they can get the device back.
Why the police cannot just chase them
Houghton told the committee Chelsea has fewer problems with scooters than Boston, where large groups ride together and block roads, or Revere, which sees heavy use along Revere Beach. The main difficulty for police, the chief said, is that officers cannot safely pursue a rider who flees. A chase is dangerous for the rider, for the officer and, on Chelsea’s crowded streets, for pedestrians and drivers.
The chief made the same point at the committee’s April 13 meeting, when Councillor Todd Taylor raised scooter use, and said then that the department would like to be able to ticket riders who break traffic laws and confiscate their scooters.
The ordinance
Captain Brian Dunn said Chelsea’s ordinance is already stronger than state law but could be strengthened further. Councillor-at-Large Leo Robinson, who filed the order that called the meeting, brought a copy of a recent ordinance change adopted by Agawam for comparison. The minutes do not describe what Agawam’s change does.
Committee members said they support revising the ordinance and will introduce changes after the police department and the city solicitor review them. The minutes give no timeline for either the ordinance or the start of the 90-day initiative, and they do not say how many scooters police have seized.
Councillor Lisa Santagate chaired the 42-minute meeting. Taylor and Robinson attended. Councillor Manuel Teshe, a member of the subcommittee, was absent. Our advance on the meeting is here.