As classes resumed from winter break Tuesday, UT Austin announced – effective immediately – that improperly parked scooters will be impounded and the scooter companies will be charged $150 per offense.
In September, the university's Parking and Transportation Services department released a list of recommendations and put up signs warning scooter riders against things like blocking sidewalks or ramps.
What counts as improperly parked? Any scooter parked along Speedway and other campus malls that blocks a sidewalk, impeding someone's ability to walk by, or is left in courtyard doorways or stairwells. The university says scooters can be parked only at bike racks.
UT warned that scooter companies may pass these fines on to riders.
At some point this semester, the university said, scooters will be prevented from going faster than 8 mph on campus.
A new rule in the works would also prohibit faculty and staff from any work-related use of the scooters.
Parking zones will be marked specifically for scooters in 10 areas across campus; additional parking zones may be added later. Parking and Transportation Services and UT Police are also working on new policies for ticketing violators.
More than 1.7 million of nearly 2.3 million rides in 2018 started in the downtown and UT area – just over 76 percent of all rides in the city – KUT's interactive map shows.
Last week, the City of Austin decided to temporarily stop issuing new licenses to dockless bike and scooter companies as it conducts a review of the vehicles.
You can find UT's scooter safety rules and guides on the university's website.
