Hoboken Police, City Leaders Support Ordinance Boosting Fines For E-Scooter Traffic Violations
HOBOKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Hoboken's scooter-share program has gotten off to a shaky start, and Thursday, the city began cracking down on people breaking the law.
Some are following the rules, but others aren't and they're forcing the hand of Hoboken city leaders.
Leaders say there need to be enforceable rules that "have teeth" so residents will start using e-scooters properly.
E-scooters have been so popular there that in the first week, there were more than 20,000 rides.
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The popularity also came with a lot of complaints, CBS2's Christina Fan reports.
It's why city council and Hoboken police support a new ordinance boosting fines for traffic violations.
"I definitely know I was breaking some rules when I first rode it. I was riding through the Stevenson campus. They kind of don't want that anymore," one e-scooter rider said.
Now that the trial period is over, city leaders are moving towards enforcement.
They've tagged each scooter with a number and also added guidelines to each scooter.
Under the proposed ordinance introduced this week, the first offense will result in a fine of $20, a second offense will be $100, and a third offense will be $500.
A fourth strike will get you suspended from riding for a year.
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Riders who want the pilot program to stay say they're paying extra attention.
"It's no more difficult than on a bicycle because you'll be going one way, then you'll hit a street in the opposite direction and you have to go blocks out of your way," one rider said.
So far, Hoboken police have only handed out three citations.
Officers warn, though, there will be more police enforcing traffic laws in the coming weeks.
