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New Miami Hurricane Hazard: Dockless Scooters as Projectiles

Miami’s New Hurricane Hazard: Dockless Scooters as Projectiles

(Bloomberg) -- Florida is facing its first major storm in the age of dockless scooters. Miami -- home to a large proportion of them -- isn’t taking any chances.

The city has told all rental services to get their conveyances off the streets by Friday lest they fly perilously through the air when Dorian reaches land over the Labor Day weekend, according to Ken Russell, a municipal commissioner.

The mayor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional information. Bird, Lime, Lyft, Spin and Uber all promised their scooters would be battened down.

New Miami Hurricane Hazard: Dockless Scooters as Projectiles

The vehicles have created a bitter backlash nationwide as scooter-haters carp about them impeding sidewalks and generally littering the streetscape. Until now, though, the threat has been confined to ground level. But Dorian, with winds that may touch 130 miles per hour, may weaponize what has so far been a scourge mostly confined to aesthetics.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Levin in Miami at jlevin20@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael J. Moore at mmoore55@bloomberg.net, Stephen Merelman

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