Expansion will build on successful program in the Bronx and agency’s mission to promote equity and environmentally friendly transportation options
Public engagement will focus on how to best implement the program’s expansion
NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced today the start of public outreach to expand e-scooter sharing into eastern Queens in 2024 with the launch of a new online feedback portal and forthcoming on-street surveying in the proposed service zone. The expansion builds on the safe, successful operation of e-scooter sharing in the East Bronx, where commuters have recorded 2.9 million trips among more than 130,000 unique user accounts since service launched in August 2021.
"Shared e-scooter service can play an important role in providing sustainable options to connect eastern Queens commuters to transit hubs, commercial corridors, and other neighborhood destinations,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “In the Bronx, our e-scooter share program has been widely popular, with a strong safety and ridership record, and we look forward to learning more from Queens residents about how these services can make their commutes faster and more convenient.”
The Queens e-scooter share expansion will include all three companies currently operating in the Bronx: Bird, Lime, and Veo. As part of the administration's commitment to equity, the Queens program area will primarily include Tier 1 and Tier 2 priority investment areas over roughly 20 square miles, from Flushing and Auburndale to the north down to Rochdale Village and Springfield Gardens to the south. Priority Investment Areas, as defined in the NYC Streets Plan, are locations in the city with higher percentages of non-white and low-income populations; higher job and population density; and lower levels of past NYC DOT investment. The program expansion will provide critical connections to major transportation and commercial hubs for roughly 600,000 residents. Members of the public can now provide feedback on the new online portal here: https://nycdotprojects.info/project-feedback-map/suggest-scooter-parking-queens
Through the fall, NYC DOT outreach teams will be conducting on-street engagement in Queens in addition to planning briefings with community boards and other stakeholders. Outreach will focus on educating residents on the program’s possibilities and soliciting feedback on placement of designated e-scooter parking corrals. Parking corrals provide a dual benefit of creating predictable locations for riders to access e-scooters, while also helping facilitate orderly parking that doesn’t inhibit pedestrians’ right of way.
NYC DOT will follow up in the winter and early spring of next year to present scooter parking corral locations and more specific program details to elected officials, community boards and others.
The agency plans to launch service in the second half of 2024, during which it will conduct daily on-street outreach and education at key destinations and corrals. Outreach will aim to raise awareness of the service and highlight discount pricing options. New Yorkers who receive or qualify for local, state, or federal assistance programs (e.g. SNAP, NYCHA, discounted utility bill) are eligible for discounted e-scooter rates. All companies must provide wheelchair-accessible scooters available for rental to residents with ambulatory disabilities.
“The e-scooter sharing program is a sound and safe way to expand public access to e-scooters, which are a great option for helping New Yorkers get where they need to go,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “I am especially pleased that the expansion of the program in Queens will focus on traditionally undeserved communities. With so much of Queens existing within a transit desert, we need to be creative and proactive in finding ways to make it easier to get around.”
"E-scooters have the potential to provide equitable and environmentally-friendly transportation alternatives, particularly in our outer borough transit deserts,” said New York City Council Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “I look forward to following this public engagement process and working alongside DOT to ensure the expansion of e-scooter sharing benefits our communities in eastern Queens.”
"I am thrilled to announce the expansion of e-scooters into our district, a significant step towards enhancing the transportation options for our community especially, as we are a transportation desert,” said Council Member Nantasha Williams. “This initiative reflects our commitment to embracing innovative solutions and creating a more connected neighborhood. I am eagerly looking forward to the positive impact these e-scooters will bring, providing additional convenient and eco-friendly means of transit for our residents. Together, we are shaping a vibrant future for our district."