Photo Illustration by Josefina de la Torre
The school administration should regulate the use of personal electric scooters on campus.
In the beginning of the semester, I almost fell onto the grass near the Rose Garden on campus because someone was zipping their way around students walking seemingly ignorant to their surroundings.
Personal scooters are allowed to travel to campus, whether they are electric or manual, according to the San José State webpage.
I understand that electric scooters are a popular mode of transportation to get to classes, but it feels like scooter riders are not aware of their surroundings, making it a public safety hazard.
During the SJSU Student Organization Fair, I watched two scooter riders with their headphones weaving their way through the heavy foot traffic of students.
One of the micromobility safety rules is to use caution when riding with headphones and to keep the volume low to be aware of surroundings, according to the SJSU webpage.
You can’t tell them to “slow down” or “be careful next time” because they speed past and can’t hear you because of the earbuds/headphones.
It annoys me that there seems to be no regulation on the etiquette on riding electric scooters on campus. Especially from the school administration, there is no course of action with regards for student safety and traffic.
The regulation I believe the school should enforce is a ban on students using headphones or earbuds while riding their e-scooters. This would force scooter riders to be aware of their surroundings regarding students walking and to hear if anyone calls out to them.
What also annoys me is how fast you see the e-scooters go fast on campus. The speed limit for electric scooters is five miles per hour, according to the SJSU webpage.
E-scooters like the Segway E3 Pro Electric Scooter can speed up to 20 miles per hour, according to the Segway webpage.
I tried a classmate’s scooter a few weeks ago, riding it around campus and the speed on it went up to 19 miles per hour. It felt really fast to experience it on a scooter.
I think the speed limit should be regulated on campus and the school administration should take action when students are seen speeding on their scooters on campus. It is a safety concern for students walking, as collisions could happen on school grounds.
They should regulate the speed of personalized e-scooters by having the University Police Department fine students going over the speed limit.
It also shows the school administration is not taking its own rules seriously regarding how e-scooters should be going five miles per hour on campus.
I just personally think no one wants to experience colliding into a moving object and person at the speed of 20 miles per hour.
I think the school should also enforce that scooter riders should wear helmets while traveling on campus.
There is a concern about a lack of helmets I have seen not worn by scooter riders while traveling on campus.
In a University of Washington report, 41% of e-scooter accidents resulting in neck and head injuries were not wearing helmets, according to the university’s Traffic Safety Commission.
Once I drove by a bicyclist who had flipped over on his bike going downhill. I had stopped by to see if he had any injuries and needed help. Thankfully he was OK with only minor scapes and he had his helmet on to prevent any serious injury.
While this situation doesn’t involve an electric scooter, it shows the importance of how wearing a helmet can help protect yourself when you are riding a scooter or bicycle.
I do not support a ban on electric scooters. SJSU had banned e-scooters in 2019 due to injuries and safety concerns, according to a Feb. 25, 2019 Mercury News article.
However, I do think the school administration needs regulation about the lack of scooter etiquette and safety happening on campus.
Students, including myself, have to be cautious of scooter riders speeding past and not being courteous. I should not have to look over my shoulder just to see if a scooter is coming up behind me.