Resident urges Wilmington to plan for scooters as micro‑mobility grows, cites safety and economic opportunity
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Summary
A Wilmington resident urged the intergovernmental committee to design sidewalks, greenways and lanes to accommodate privately owned scooters, argued Delaware law treats motorized scooters as motor vehicles under Title 21 and warned riders face unsafe choices. He proposed reallocating vehicle lanes to create pedestrian/scooter greenways to spur
Resident Jason Hoover told the intergovernmental committee on June 4 that privately owned micro‑mobility devices (electric scooters owned by individuals) are becoming a significant mode of transportation in Wilmington and that the city should plan infrastructure accordingly.
Hoover said many households in Wilmington lack private cars and that scooters provide affordable, practical transportation: “At about $250, scooters provide reliable, fast, and efficient transportation, and no expensive insurance is required.” He argued scooters increase access to jobs and services for people who do not own cars and described a personal example of a friend who retained employment after receiving a donated scooter.
Hoover noted a legal barrier: he quoted Delaware’s treatment of motorized scooters under Title 21 and cited specific provisions (as read at the meeting) saying they “shall not be operated upon public highways, streets, sidewalks, or right aways located within the state.” He said the practical result is that riders must choose between dangerous, uneven sidewalks and busy roadways shared with cars, buses and trucks.
As a planning vision, Hoover proposed reallocating underused road space — for example trimming four traffic lanes to two on certain corridors — to create a combined pedestrian and scooter path and stimulate adjacent redevelopment. He used reimagined images of Twelfth Street to illustrate how pedestrian and micro‑mobility infrastructure could encourage storefronts, housing conversion and economic activity.
Committee members thanked Hoover for raising the subject and suggested bringing the issue into broader resilience and comp‑plan conversations. Hoover encouraged the city to take education and modest infrastructure steps now to reduce crashes and improve access.
The committee did not take formal action on the presentation; members asked staff to consider integrating micro‑mobility into future planning and outreach.