Texas Stairs University, although cheesy, was a nickname lovingly given to Texas State for a reason. Centered right in the middle of hill country, it can be a hike getting to and from class. In order to ease this trek, many students have begun utilizing electric scooters.
However, this might not be the best solution.
According to Texas State, in 2020, the university entered into an agreement with Spin scooters and introduced 200 electric scooters to campus. Originally, these rental scooters cost 29 cents per minute, with a fee of one dollar to unlock the scooter. These scooters are still on campus today.
Although electric scooters might seem convenient, they create dangerous situations throughout campus. According to Nature.com “over 50% of e-scooter riders sustained a trauma to the head or face.”
These injuries result from unsafe behaviors while operating the electric scooters. Joa Brown, a political science senior, said she has seen many dangerous habits practiced on campus.
“I see a lot of people on scooters who also look at their phone at the same time, and so they aren’t really watching where they are going,” Brown said. “I definitely have had close calls with scooters.”
Students should think of riding a scooter similarly to driving a car. Attention should be on the riding path, safety gear should be worn and the rules of the road should be followed. According to the Spin terms and conditions, riders must “wear proper equipment, including a helmet, while using the Spin Scooter.”
These safety regulations are especially important because many students ride the scooters on pedestrian walkways, often riding past other students and zooming through crowds. Many scooter riders become frustrated with the walking speed and try to cut through large groups on campus. However, these pedestrians have the right of way, and scooter drivers need to be more careful.
Students on electric scooters must realize that just because they have a scooter does not mean they are entitled to clear and quick driving paths.
Problematically, when students are finished riding one of the Spin scooters, many scooters do not get returned to a charging station and are carelessly left throughout Texas State. Jo Oliver, an English sophomore, said they recognize there are advantages to electric scooters, but they also believe stray scooters are an unfortunate and prominent reality.
“I do think littered scooters take away from the aesthetic of our campus,” Oliver said.
Texas State is considered to be a beautiful campus with a lot of lush, natural greenery; however, the scooters clutter the ground and outshine from the beauty.
In addition to littering campus, the scooters take up space on walkways. If a person is unable to see or move the fallen scooters from their path, they create a barrier that hinders the ability of others to pass.
The lack of regulation that Texas State has over these scooters may lead to more incidents regarding personal scooters.
Overall, electric scooters only benefit the select few who can afford to spend the money to ride to class. The issues of cluttering campus, running into pedestrians and possibly exploding far outweigh the slight benefit that electric scooters provide.
Our student body should look toward either walking or investing in a more accessible, sustainable and safer form of personal transportation.
-Madison Green is a psychology and advertising senior
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