With approximately 91 facilities and 356 acres to navigate, CSUN students have had to rely on various forms of transportation to make their trip to class quicker.

Students are allowed to use bikes, skateboards and even rollerblades to get to class as long as they are not used inside campus buildings. In 2018, the rise in popularity of electric scooters due to new scooter-sharing systems has also led to an increase in TukTuk scooters on campus.

“I switched to an e-scooter after my bike got stolen,” Henry Locke, a third-year computer science major, said. “I started using a scooter so I could get to class faster, especially with the long walk from the dorms to campus. I use it to go to places around campus too, like the Trader Joe’s.”

While e-scooters provide a lot of convenience, there are risks as well. Depending on the model, e-scooters can reach speeds of 15 to 75 mph. As a result, e-scooters are required in Los Angeles County to go 15 mph in bike lanes and 25 mph or less on the roads.

They are prohibited from being used on sidewalks, carrying additional passengers and from parking in permitted areas on campus. However, many students disregard these rules, leading to accidents.

“I think they’re useful, but the rules should be enforced more, like wearing a helmet or not riding on the sidewalk,” said Locke. “One bad fall on a scooter could easily kill you if you don’t wear a helmet. I know CSUN put up signs saying not to ride on the sidewalks, but never really actually enforced it.”

Locke exercises caution when he drives his scooter. He always wears a helmet and tries to stay on the road when possible, adhering to the speed limit. Whenever it’s difficult to avoid pedestrians, he chooses to walk with his scooter to avoid any accidents.

The campus police have received many e-scooter reports, usually involving theft or accidents. However, the most recent mobility policy around campus was enacted back in 2016. The campus police find that little can be done to enforce regulations at CSUN until the policy is updated.

“We here at the university recognize that it is a form of micromobility. It’s a big campus, and students sometimes need to get from one end to the other,” said Commander Gabriel Kearney. “But people need to be able to do it safely and not crash, injuring themselves and others. So we’re kinda stuck in a weird middle phase right now. We get it, they exist, they’re part of life, now they’re everywhere. But there needs to be more regulation, and that regulation hasn’t been written yet.”

Kearney said there is talk of creating regulations at the administrative level, but the process is still being discussed and has not yet been put into motion.

These risks have resulted in two Reddit posts being created about a petition to enforce regulations for e-scooters on campus. The two petitioners are Timothy Crowell, a third-year computer science major, and Nicholas Deliberto, a first-year political science major.

Crowell’s interest in e-scooter regulations began after he had an accident on a TukTuk scooter on campus, when a malfunctioning brake caused him to fall and break his ankle. Since the incident, he’s noticed how many times he’s nearly been hit by other e-scooter users.

“It started as I would pass by TukTuk scooters frequently and remember what happened to me,” said Crowell. “Then, a row of TukTuk scooters was blocking the wheelchair lift on my shuttle, and it was difficult for the bus driver to get me out. Finally, I became more angry as scooter riders would zoom past me on the sidewalk. I decided to start complaining on Reddit and found others felt unsafe or frustrated with the situation as well.”

Deliberto understands and appreciates the use that scooters provide for students, but said he can’t help but notice the danger as well.

“They definitely had me checking over my shoulder each time I wanted to move to the right or left of the sidewalk,” said Deliberto. “When I started to listen to story after story about people having these near-harmful interactions with these scooters, that’s when I initially realized that they aren’t just affecting me, they’re affecting the people in my community as well.”

While Crowell and Delibeto are still discussing the terms of the petition, they both have their own issues they want addressed.

Crowell wants strict enforcement of existing rules, under which all student-owned scooters should be permitted and scooters for rent should be subject to mandatory regular safety checks. For Delibeto’s requirements, he wants the speed limit lowered from 10 mph to 12 mph and for patrolling officers to circulate the core campus areas during times when classes are most active.

“I think any regulation, as they exist, are completely unenforced. Institutional changes are needed,” said Crowell.

Both agree that users who exceed the enforced speed limits should be monetarily fined. Other penalties include mandatory counseling, impoundment of scooters and holds on registration for repeat offenders.

Delibeto also created a survey as a benchmark poll for the petition to see where the majority of CSUN staff and students stand on this issue. 

“I was honestly fed up with the speed these scooters were going, and even more fed up with no one doing anything about it,” said Delibeto. “I wanted to make this change, not just for me but for my community.”