Culver City, Long Beach work with companies to try out and regulate e-scooters

CULVER CITY, Calif. (KABC) -- Whether you love them or hate them, motorized scooters have flooded cities across SoCal and increased access has led to a rise in popularity.

Cities were caught off guard by the influx of e-scooters and are trying to catch up with enforcement. But Culver City and Long Beach are doing things differently.

"We're trying to get ahead of the game. We've entered into a six-month trial period with the scooter companies," Mayor Thomas Small said.

Culver City is working with BIRD to control how many scooters are within the city at all times. The city has put a cap at 175 scooters and all riders must wear a helmet, be over the age of 18 with a valid driver's license and stay off the sidewalk.

Eric Hatfield took one for a spin through downtown.

"I would have felt safer on the sidewalk, but if I was a pedestrian and I saw one coming at me I definitely probably wouldn't feel safe," he said. "It seems like you almost need a bike lane for these and I think they're promoting that you try to use the bike lane wherever possible."

Culver City officials said they see positives in helping the public with the first-mile and last-mile commute.

"To get from my house to the train is not easy. It takes a little bit too long to walk. It's a little too hot some days on a bicycle, but the scooters could be perfect for it," Small said.

Long Beach also launched its own trial period. Mayor Robert Garcia tweeted last week that "we should embrace and try new forms of multimodal transit. These scooters can and do provide incredible forms of transportation for many people. I'm hopeful that we can get it right during this pilot program."

While these cities are working with the companies to develop regulations, Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz introduced a motion to ban the scooters. The motion did not provide a timeline on the ban.