In recent days, residents of Flushing have noticed the arrival of shared electric scooters (E-Scooter Share) in the neighborhood. Some residents have spotted at least two designated parking spots for electric scooters on Kissena Boulevard, providing people with the option to rent and use these scooters.
These designated parking spots for shared electric scooters are located on sidewalks and some are placed in parking spaces on the road. Adjacent signs indicate that only shared electric scooters are allowed to park in these locations, and other vehicles — including private electric scooters, bicycles, or mopeds — are prohibited from parking there, even if there are available spaces. If no parking space is available, users are advised to use a mobile application to find alternative parking spots and are not allowed to park outside designated areas.
The New York City Department of Transportation introduced shared electric scooters to the East Queens area in June of this year. Flushing City Councilor Huang Minyi has expressed concerns about the expansion of shared electric scooters to the congested and high-traffic area of Flushing.
Huang Minyi is worried about the high speeds of electric scooters, reckless behavior of some riders on the roads, and even riding on sidewalks, posing a danger to pedestrians. Riders speeding without any protective gear on the road are also deemed unsafe by Huang.
Flushing resident Xie Dong mentioned that the roads in Flushing are already quite crowded, and introducing shared scooters further adds to the competition for pedestrian and parking space. Moreover, the level of usage of electric scooters in Flushing remains uncertain.