Giavanna Altmeyer | Staff writer
September 2, 2021
Clear the sidewalks and check the bike lane: the electric scooter craze has descended upon Pittsburgh. As motorists cruise across the city, scooter use on campus has come to a grinding halt.
According to the parking guidelines located on Duquesne’s website, “Duquesne has for several years expressly prohibited scooters from campus.”
The scooters, distributed by the company Spin, present a hazard as there are many hills and crowded sidewalks which could lead to potential crash accidents and injuries.
Sophomore, Mia Lubrani, took an interest in campus concerns and safety.
“I have noticed these scooters everywhere. They seem to make exploring the city more exciting,” Lubrani said. “I think they’re super beneficial in helping people run around, but I am interested to learn about their rules here on campus concerning our safety.”
Many Duquesne students are unaware of the “Spin ban,” a recent influx of scooters left on campus. Duquesne’s vehicle policy, that also applies to motorcycles, states that the presence of motor vehicles on campus must be registered with the parking office and stored in the garage. When left unattended, the vehicle is to be towed away.
“Failure to uphold this principle can lead to complete expulsion of parking privileges and/or turned over to the Department of Public Safety as theft of services, and/ or Student Conduct,” according to the Duquesne Parking Regulations page.
Duquesne has not yet announced the punishment for the unattended scooters, but a warning by Spin acknowledges that any mistakes in parking will result in an additional fine or temporary ban.
Electric scooters were recently introduced to the Pittsburgh area as a means of an easy, fun, and accessible means of transportation. These scooters can be seen nationwide and throughout Europe. The company was founded in October of 2018.
On Spin’s website, they tout their goal of creating better mobility for those living in cities. Today, many appear throughout the streets as they have gained quick popularity.
Freshman, Jane Straffon, expresses her surprise upon learning about Duquesne’s scooter policy.
“I’ve seen the scooters around town, and they seem like something I’d be interested in. I’ve also seen a few alongside the sidewalks here on campus too, but no, I was not aware that they were prohibited here,” Straffon said.
Duquesne has announced they are working alongside the city to create a safe zone.
Posted on their website, it is indicated that there is a pursuit to officially mark campus as a No Ride Zone, which would be programmed in the scooters. This means a geo-fence, an invisible barrier, would be created to prevent the scooters’ ability of trespassing onto school grounds.
Duquesne is working towards creating a safe boundary for our students by putting the ban in place.
