I am writing in response to Henry Houston’s article published online Oct. 8 (EW Blog). Are e-scooters becoming an effective means of transportation whilst cutting back on carbon emissions? According to this article, Eugene is looking to follow in the footsteps of other major cities such as Portland and Los Angeles with the introduction of e-scooters.
I still feel indifferent about this decision, as e-scooters have proven to be somewhat problematic. Yes, they encourage people not to drive and yes, they can reduce carbon footprints — but at what cost?
An e-scooter with a short lifespan actually contributes to a larger carbon footprint, as you cannot recycle or reuse the material made to create these scooters. People tend to abuse them and break them, which contributes to more waste production and requires more funding from the city to fix/remove them.
After the Eugene City Council holds its public engagement, it will be pretty clear whether the introduction of the e-scooter program will be successful or not. Until then, the pros and cons list will never end, and the PeaceHealth bicycles are all we have.
Sydney Hutson
Eugene