The City of Fort Collins conducted a study of shared bike and scooter parking to better understand the issues and develop strategies to improve parking behavior.
Staff observed more than 500 parked Spin e-bikes and e-scooters before and after implementing countermeasures such as providing more places to park, educating riders on proper parking, imposing penalties for improper parking and encouraging reporting of improper parking. Before countermeasures, about one-third of vehicles were barriers, blocking a sidewalk or something else. After countermeasures, there was a 12 percent reduction in vehicles that were barriers. 
“We know from survey responses that e-bike and e-scooter share is an important service for many people with disabilities. At the same time, improperly parked bikes and scooters can be a barrier, especially for people with disabilities,” says Rachel Ruhlen, transportation planner with the City of Fort Collins who led the study. “Riders should make sure they don’t obstruct paths when they park.”
The city and Spin will continue to address problem parking, particularly parking that impedes people with disabilities. The city has installed fourteen bike/scooter boxes, and riders can receive $1 ride credit if they end their ride in a box. Spin penalizes riders who park improperly with a first-time warning, followed by a suspension and then permanent ban. Spin routinely monitors areas where problems have been observed and removes offending vehicles promptly.
Spin has been the city’s e-scooter and e-bike vendor since 2021. E-bike and e-scooter share is an important public transportation option in Fort Collins that complements public transit.
The study was a collaboration between FC Moves, the city’s transportation planning department, and Connor Stephens, who designed the study as a student in the Master of Public Health program at Colorado State University.
Anyone can report an improperly parked Spin e-scooter or e-bike by contacting the Spin team at fortcollinsops@spinteam.pm or by text at 970.387.2799 or through Access Fort Collins (fcgov.com/accessfortcollins).
To learn more about shared e-bikes and e-scooters in Fort Collins, visit fcgov.com/fcmoves/spin.
