Statement of Alderman Robert J. Bauman
June 18, 2026
The caught-on-video incident earlier this week of a LIME scooter rider striking a man as he was walking across a public sidewalk on N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. near State Street is brutal to watch. The impact knocks the pedestrian off his feet, and he flies backward with his head and neck striking sidewalk furniture and the ground.
Reports state that the man suffered broken ribs, broken bones in his feet, and that he will need spinal surgery.
I have been frankly skeptical of the wisdom of mixing electric scooters with vehicle and pedestrian traffic – especially downtown – since the beginning, and I have had enough. The city’s abilities to keep scooter riders off sidewalks and to keep them from blocking public spaces (and public property) have simply proven to be inadequate.
I will be introducing a Common Council file to have a full review of safety protocols in our scooter program, and I will also be requesting that DPW initiate further, significant speed restrictions in the downtown area of my district.
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