Clutter and Compliance: Scooter Parking Interventions and Perceptions

Shared e-scooter programs often generate complaints about improper parking because it create unappealing clutter and can make it difficult for pedestrians to use the sidewalk. We examine how cities can address noncompliant scooter parking and explore public perceptions of this problem with two related studies. First, we conducted field experiments in Washington, DC (hereafter "DC"), and Auckland, New Zealand. We observed scooter parking and then evaluated the efficacy of three interventions to mitigate noncompliant parking. We find low rate of noncompliance, but the precise rate is highly dependent on how we define noncompliance. We also find that in-app message reminders and sidewalk decals marginally lowered rates of noncompliant parking, but the largest improvement in compliance occurred after DC implemented a requirement that scooters be physically locked to bike racks. Second, we examined public perceptions of improper parking by asking people how much noncompliant parking they think occurs and what practices they think constitute noncompliant parking. We find that the public overestimates improper parking of scooters and underestimates improper parking of bicycles and cars. Given their unfamiliarity with scooter parking regulations, respondents use pedestrian accessibility and tidiness as heuristics to determine what counts as proper scooter parking. Our results suggest that intuitive parking solutions that align with perceptions of orderly parking, such as bike racks or on-street parking corrals, can improve rider compliance and may reduce public dissatisfaction with shared scooter parking.