UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Electric scooters will be seen on University Heights’ main streets in just a few days following City Council’s passage Monday (Oct. 4) of a pilot program being undertaken with Cuyahoga County.
Council voted unanimously to get the program started by approving legislation that sets parameters for the program. Scooters will be activated for use between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. only, and will travel no more than 15 miles per hour. Riders must be at least 16 years of age.
In explaining the details of the city ordinance, Director of Housing and Community Development Geoff Englebrecht stated that five electronic scooters would be permitted for each of four vendors, meaning 20 scooters will be available in University Heights. Englebrecht said the scooters would be restricted for usage only along certain major thoroughfares -- Cedar, South Taylor, South Green and Warrensville Center roads, and Fairmount and Meadowbrook boulevards.
“As soon as the legislation is passed, Mike Foley, the county’s director of sustainability (who spoke to council about the program Sept. 23), said that, within a week, scooters would be available for use for the folks who live in University Heights.”
Law Director Luke McConville added that the ordinance passed includes the concept of rebalancing stations, or places where scooters will be returned after use. Each of the streets where the scooters can be operated will have rebalancing stations, except for Meadowbrook, Englebrecht said, because of its residential nature. Depending on how the program proceeds, a rebalancing station still could be added on Meadowbrook.
“There’s a three-hour limit for each of the vendors,” McConville said. “Once a ride is (activated, riders) have three hours to get those scooters back to the rebalancing station.”
Also, in accordance with the city code pertaining to motorized vehicles, police can cite those riding a scooter who commit a traffic violation.
“We do have a prohibition of operation of scooters on sidewalks,” McConville added. “The idea is that scooters will be driven in the roadway then returned to the sidewalk to park, and be picked up by the vendors and returned to the rebalancing stations.”
University Heights joins cities such as Cleveland, Euclid, South Euclid, Cleveland Heights and East Cleveland in beginning a pilot program. The University Heights pilot program is scheduled to last for six months and then be evaluated.
Those using scooters will do so using a phone app, which encourages users to drop off scooters in designated areas in exchange for a discount. Users will pay with a credit card. The county has licensing agreements with with scooter companies Bird, Link, Spin and Lime.
“I want to assure the residents that council has heard you,” said Vice Mayor Michele Weiss. “When the (council Service and Utilities) committee met (to discuss the program) we realized that University Heights is unique, as opposed to other cities that have a lot more commercial and a lot less dense residential, so that’s why we really made this a pilot -- to look at the data and re-evaluate and see if this works for our city. That’s why we put (in) that six-month deadline.”
Making use of the former Wiley School site
For the past couple of months, University Heights City Council has been using the former library at the former Wiley Middle School building, 2181 Miramar Blvd., as its council chambers. Prior to that, council had been using for meetings, since 2019, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School Board meeting room in the board of education building next door to Wiley.
Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan moved the council meetings from city hall because of its difficulty meeting ADA compliance standards. Brennan has frequently spoke of he need to replace the city hall building, built in 1926.
During Monday’s council meeting, Brennan said that the city of University Heights is continuing to work with the CH-UH School Board on finding ways to make community assets work better for residents of the two cities. On Tuesday, Brennan addressed the CH-UH School Board about further collaboration.
“As previously reported,” Brennan told council on Monday, “our consultants concluded that the (University Heights) city service yard could be relocated to this (Wiley) site, even as the (CH-UH Schools) bus depot is returned to this site. The issue of the bus depot will be on Thursday evening’s (Oct. 7 University Heights) Planning Commission agenda.
“In my view, it isn’t a question of whether we should move the city service yard to Wiley, but whether, in addition to that, there are other and further ways we can work together regarding uses of this site.
“At the next city council meeting, I anticipate providing an update on the (University Heights) municipal facilities study. The focus of that study has been the 2300 Warrensville Center Road (current city hall) site, which must be a fully reviewed and considered as an initial matter, and from which the issue of the desirability of moving the service yard originated.”
Brennan said he would speak more on the subject at the next council meeting, Oct. 18.
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