Ann Arbor Tests Scooter Riders After Dark — Should Grand Rapids Do the Same?

If you’ve ever tried to dodge a scooter zipping down Monroe Center after dark, you know Grand Rapids has a bit of a scooter problem.

They’re convenient, sure. But when the sun goes down, those rides can get a little wild, especially during busier times of the year like ArtPrize. A city across the state might have figured out a smart solution, and it’s something Grand Rapids should seriously consider.

In Ann Arbor, city leaders are looking to add a new rule for late-night scooter rides. Residents who rent an electric scooter through Spin (one of the city’s scooter vendors) will soon have to take a quick reaction test on their phones.

If you’d like to take a ride between the hours of 10 pm and 4 am, the Spin app would give you a test. The test looks like a simple video game: tap the circles fast enough to show you have good reflexes, and you’re cleared to ride.

But if your reaction time is too slow? You’re locked out of the app for six hours.

It’s not exactly a “sobriety test,” but it’s meant to have the same effect. Any anything that makes sure people aren’t hopping on scooters after a few too many drinks or when they’re not alert enough to be safe, sounds like a great idea.

Grand Rapids currently partners with Lime for scooters, which doesn’t offer anything like this feature. The company mentioned working on similar safety tools back in 2019, but so far, nothing has rolled out here.

With downtown nightlife growing and pedestrian traffic busier than ever, it might be time for GR to take a page out of Ann Arbor’s playbook and bring a little more accountability to late-night scootering before more people are injured.