Statement Regarding City of Lakewood Bicycle/Scooter Share Pilot Program

After years of planning – including multiple public outreach efforts, as well as a deep review of industry best practices and ordinances and policies passed by other communities – the City of Lakewood officially launched the Bicycle / Scooter Share Pilot Program on Monday, July 18th.

This pilot program has introduced twelve vehicle stations throughout Lakewood. None of these stations took away any parking spaces.

Avoiding any reduction whatsoever in parking was done intentionally by the City, as parking demand is an ongoing concern, especially due to Lakewood’s population density and high number of businesses.

One of the City’s hopes for the Bicycle / Scooter Share Pilot Program is that it will actually contribute to alleviating parking issues by encouraging alternate modes of transportation, thus reducing the number of cars in use.

Any social media commentary that states or suggests that parking spots or “loading: unloading” spaces were taken away is simply incorrect.

The area noted in the social media post in question at the intersection of Wyandotte and Madison has always been marked as “no parking,” and has never been designated by the City as any form of “loading” zone.  Click here to view the time indexed image from Google Maps taken in July 2021 for reference.

City ordinances actually forbid parking of larger vehicles (cars and trucks) within 20 feet of a crosswalk to protect pedestrian safety, therefore the area in question would not qualify for a “parking,” “loading,” or “drop off” zone for use by cars and trucks.

The City of Lakewood is always happy to speak directly to any constituents who may have thoughts or questions on the program or who may need guidance on our parking and traffic ordinances.

We will continue to monitor and analyze public feedback during the term of this pilot program.