NEAR MISSES, FOR NOW: Our communities all face a major, daily safety issue with electric-powered vehicles, bikes and scooters

There’s a consensus that the unchecked, misuse of “micromobility” devices is a clear and present danger

By Steve Freker

There have been plenty of near misses, for now. Anyone who lives in Everett, Malden, Revere or Saugus or any community in the state — and probably most cities and towns across the nation — has stories. Lots of them.

Most of us have as many stories as there are contained in a deck of playing cards. Kids — and we do mean kids, from as young as 11 or 12 up to high school age and beyond — zipping down the streets, with traffic, against traffic, in the middle of traffic. Or, buzzing down sidewalks, both toward and behind unsuspecting pedestrians. How many times have you walked down a street on the sidewalk and out of nowhere a scooter, e-bike or, basically, a mini- (or NOT so mini at all) motorcycle whips by you, with maybe a credit card’s width between you?

News Analysis

It is not “getting bad” — it’s here — and it’s getting terrifying at times. What we are talking about is all the near misses: the hundreds of times there is not a device vs. car, device vs. person, device vs. other device collision or single crash. This happens probably every week in every city and town across the state.

The general consensus is that the unchecked use of all of the multitude of the newly termed  “micromobility” devices by, basically, untrained novices, is a clear and present danger. Many communities, not just in Massachusetts, but across the nation, are dealing with this, and those who manage them from a municipal standpoint as well as those responsible for maintaining safety are all talking about it. The Malden City Council recently formed a “working group” to address this issue, and other communities in The Advocate readership area and far beyond are also trying to come up with ways and means to address this omnipresent safety issue.

City leaders are also cognizant of the value and need for these micromobility devices. Basically, if young people are transporting themselves on these devices, there are fewer full-size cars and SUVs on the road since they do not have to be transported by caregivers. Also, the cost of an electric charge to get them back-and-forth from school is less than even an MBTA bus ride and far less than a gallon of gas.

The comprehensive RIDE SAFE bill, which appears to be close to being fully passed by the state legislature and, hopefully, in place by the end of the calendar year, will address many of the concerns of everyone, as it would institute specific, enforceable regulations that would govern the use — and users — of micromobility devices. Local municipal governments are in an anticipatory mode, waiting to endorse and promote the safeguards that are included in the RIDE SAFE bill.

In our local communities, these actions cannot come soon enough. The safety of all of our citizens, both those who operate the devices and those on the “near miss” end, are depending on it.