TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa City Council had a jam-packed Thursday addressing electric scooters, red-light cameras, changing tables in men’s restrooms and more.
After discussion, the council approved an electric scooter pilot program. The program would have four vendors: Lime, Spin, JUMP and Bird, and would put 2,400 electric scooters throughout the city that people could rent by the hour.
“The pilot program hopefully will lead to us being a permanent place for scooters,” District 1 City Council member Mike Suarez said.
The pilot program is expected to start in April, but they still need one thing.
“We need the state legislature to pass a law to allow them on the streets and on bike paths, without that it will be dangerous to have scooters out there on a permanent basis,” Suarez said.
Also discussed in Thursday’s council meeting was red-light traffic cameras. In a heated 4-3 vote, the council decided to keep the 54 cameras in Tampa active for another five-year contract.
“The new contract is a reduction in price to the city of Tampa, so they’ll see a 10-15 percent increase in revenue. In addition, they’re getting new technology with better cameras,” Vice President of Verra Mobility Jason Norton said.
A red-light ticket will cost you $158. Last year the city made a little more than $3 million off them.
“Eight-two percent of people who get red light tickets don’t get another one. Does that mean they are never running another light? Of course not. But they are changing their behavior and making it a safer place for people to drive,” Suarez said.
While the council spent a lot of time debating the pros and cons of red-light cameras, another big talker was adding changing tables in men’s restrooms in city buildings. That proposal was approved and will cost $64,000.
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