OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Commission Reviews Lime Program – March 10, 2026

Boards and CommissionsTuesday, March 10, 2026
BodyRochester, Minnesota
SessionBoards and Commissions
DateTuesday, March 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:26:37

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Data driven.

0:03

But that data is only effective if it if it collects collects all the components so that you can so that you can make a proper decision.

0:16

By that I'm saying it collects incident reports, which are not being collected now as it relates to the people that are injured, maybe by uh the bicycles themselves uh on the streets or on sidewalks, the same thing with the lime scooters.

0:35

I myself have saved three individuals that have uh been compromised because of their um uh um site or uh uh canes or walkers because of uh uh uh either lime scooters or bicyclists uh on the sidewalk.

0:55

So the point I want to make is if we choose to be data driven, that that data has to be comprehensive, and thus far, whether it's the mail clinic or whether it's uh homestead county or whether it's a salvation army, there is I'm just suggesting probably because of HIPAA.

1:14

Uh uh, we really don't know which safety place and and how people are getting injured.

1:19

So I'm gonna strike safety safety safety because this place is on the map internationally, and we have to do more than give the impression that we're concerned about safety.

1:31

I want to share something with you this morning.

1:33

I was at the dentist's office, and the first thing I say when I go to the dentist's office, do I get to leave with all the teeth that I came with?

1:40

Because the ones I have remaining are very important to have humor.

1:43

Do we need to realize how important that is, however?

1:47

Um, but he said we brought up this issue tonight.

1:51

He said, no one has any idea how many people this dentist's office has worked on their teeth, either by somebody riding the lime scooter or someone that was hit by a lime scooter person.

2:06

So that's why we want to bring up this data.

2:08

Uh there's no way to collect it.

2:10

And he said, you know, he wouldn't be a cyclical minutes.

2:14

But I'd like to put my business card on all the lime scooters that go around there because you'd be surprised how many people we take care of that have been hit by one or somebody riding a lime scooter.

2:26

Thank you all very much.

2:29

Next up we have Kim Federson.

2:32

Yeah.

2:32

Good evening, everyone.

2:34

Um, I think my comments will build nicely on what these two gentlemen chaired.

2:39

On September 25th, I was riding my bicycle commuting home from my job, and I hit a live scooter that was parked illegally on the bike path.

2:49

Um, my medical, I sustained a broken elbow, um, a broken finger that required surgery and external fixation, a broken toe, and soft tissue damage to my other elbow.

3:02

Um, it was $35,000 in medical costs, pre-insurance, of course, thankfully.

3:08

I have insurance, and it was only about three to four grand out of pocket.

3:12

Um the medical costs were the only problem.

3:16

Um at that time I had a one and a half year old and a three-year-old, and it proves very difficult to be an involved mother when you can't use your arms at all.

3:25

Um, I was out of work for three months.

3:28

I work at the uh federal prison, and they don't allow you in if you are physically not at your prime condition.

3:37

So it it was direct cost, it was indirect costs to me and my employer, huge cost to my family and my children.

3:45

Um so when I see these um, I did contact lime scooter, I got very prompt responses, um, very polite responses, albeit no action, even when asking for accountability.

3:59

I was not familiar with lime scooter rules because I never used them myself.

4:03

Um, but after quick review of the website, it was very clear what is expected of um riders in terms of where safe parking is and everything.

4:14

So that's why I contacted Line and said, hey, clearly this was uh deviation from the expectations.

4:21

What can you do to help lessen the impact on my family and I?

4:24

Unfortunately, we got um nowhere and um though I I think the responses, which actually I didn't even expect, but I got responses, but nowhere.

4:34

Um in reviewing the slides, it's just a couple of comments um that grams of carbon dioxide save per trip.

4:43

I mean, that's only if you're assuming that it's replacing car usage, I'm assuming.

4:47

Um I would say my personal observations in my commuting as well as um I look on memorial parkway, a very uh popular recreation area that I'm not uh the reader writers I see do appear, like Barry said, to be very young.

5:00

That I'm not the reader riders I see do appear, like Barry said, to be very young.

5:03

Um they're typically messing around.

5:05

They don't, I don't think they would be in a car otherwise, or they're certainly not community to or from work.

5:11

Um so they appear to be recreational for the meeting.

5:14

So I can't, I would disagree that it saves carbon dioxide um once you consider charging.

5:20

Um the same with our um the four slide, the car trips replaced.

5:25

I think that would uh be inaccurate to claim that.

5:28

Um, and then as Barry was saying, a little concern with the capture, um, noting that two warnings would be issued before a five.

5:39

If I'm doing my quick math right, um 20,500 riders took at least the first trip.

5:45

So those are appear to be unique riders.

5:49

Um, so if they each get two warnings before a fine, um that's 50 about 56,000 and proper parkings, and there's only 78,000 trips in a year.

6:02

So I that seems like a drop in the bucket as far as enforcement.

6:06

Um appreciate that.

6:11

All right, anybody else?

6:14

All right, we'll close on my comment period.

6:16

Thank you very much, everybody.

6:17

We do appreciate your comments.

6:20

And we will set the agenda for today.

6:24

Uh the agenda for today if the minutes from February 9th, 2026.

6:29

The um information items is uh seven, so that's four eight.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transportation███████████████████████████████31%
Public Safety█████████████13%
Technology and Innovation█████████████13%
Active Transportation████████████12%
Transportation Safety███████████11%
Community Engagement███████7%
Procedural██████6%
Urban Design██2%
Accessibility and Inclusion██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Commission Reviews Lime Program – March 10, 2026

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Commission met on March 10, 2026, to receive an informational update from Lime on 2025 performance and plans for 2026. Public comment highlighted safety concerns and enforcement gaps, followed by detailed discussion on parking, technology, and collaboration. The commission took no formal votes on the Lime program.

Consent Calendar

  • Unanimously approved the minutes of February 9, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • John Kruesel emphasized the need for comprehensive injury data involving Lime scooters and bicycles, arguing current data is incomplete due to HIPAA and lack of incident reporting from clinics. He stressed that Rochester, as an international destination, must do more than give the impression of safety.
  • Kim Federson shared a personal account of a September 25, 2025, crash into a parked Lime scooter on a bike path, resulting in a broken elbow, finger (requiring surgery), toe, and soft-tissue damage, $35,000 in medical costs, three months off work, and difficulty caring for her young children. She noted Lime’s responses were polite but resulted in no accountability. She questioned Lime’s environmental claims, estimating that 20,500 unique riders receiving two warnings before fines allows 56,000 improper parkings versus only 78,000 trips per year.

Discussion Items

  • Lime Update: 2025 in Review and Vision for 2026 – James Tierney (Operations Associate, Minneapolis) and Kelly Harup (Senior Government Relations Coordinator, Columbus, OH) presented:
    • 2025 ridership: 160,826 trips (21% increase from 2024), 95,000 car trips saved, 253,966 miles traveled (38% increase), 28,545 unique riders, 18 trips per hour.
    • Lifetime environmental impact: over 175,000 car trips saved in Rochester.
    • Lime Pass and Lime Prime subscription programs: $425,246 saved across 77,969 trips in 2025.
    • 2026 plans: new parking locations, physical parking corrals, outreach/education (helmet giveaways, first ride academies, parking wardens), and CAPTCHURE – an AI tool requiring riders to upload a live photo at trip end to verify proper parking. Progressive enforcement: two warnings, then fines, then bans. Reporting via QR code on scooters and help-rochester@lime.email; average response time under one hour.
  • Commissioner Discussion and Questions:
    • CAPTCHURE process: Warnings are issued per incident; if a rider fails to take a photo or parks improperly, a manual review escalates to fines/bans. Commissioners asked about efficiency and whether a second report from a civilian adds a second warning.
    • Parking infrastructure: Discussion of geo-fenced no-parking zones along multi-use paths, mandatory parking zones with vertical elements (e.g., delineators) achieving over 90% compliance. City staff noted work on a GIS layer for no-parking zones and a communications plan on shared-path courtesies.
    • Co-location with bike racks and daylighting intersections proposed to improve visibility and parking compliance.
    • Future technology: Lime Location Engine (GPS enhancement) and Lime Vision 2.0 (camera-based detection) are not planned for Rochester until at least 2027; commissioners urged earlier consideration.
    • Enforcement: Lime can warn, fine, and ban users but cannot enforce city code (e.g., sidewalk riding). Rochester Police can issue tickets, but it’s difficult to catch riders in the act. Coordination with RPD is ongoing.
    • Age verification: Riders must be 18; account creation via email. Lime confirmed an ID scan feature exists in some markets but may not be active in Rochester; commissioners expressed interest in enabling it for better enforcement.
    • Accessibility: Lime Access program (50% off for low-income riders) and scooters with seats are not yet legal in Minnesota due to state statute; Lime is lobbying for legislative change.
    • Data requests: Commissioners asked for data on trip start/stop locations, Lime Pass usage, and incident data. Lime agreed to provide follow-up information.

Key Outcomes

  • The commission unanimously approved the consent agenda (February 9, 2026 minutes) and the meeting agenda.
  • No formal actions were taken on the Lime program; the discussion was informational to gather feedback.
  • Staff will:
    • Provide requested data (trip origins/destinations, Lime Pass usage, incident reports).
    • Explore activating ID scanning technology and report back.
    • Continue coordinating with Rochester Police on enforcement and safe path use.
    • Consider physical parking infrastructure and vertical elements for parking zones.
  • Next meeting scheduled: Monday, April 13, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Data driven. But that data is only effective if it if it collects collects all the components so that you can so that you can make a proper decision. By that I'm saying it collects incident reports, which are not being collected now as it relates to the people that are injured, maybe by uh the bicycles themselves uh on the streets or on sidewalks, the same thing with the lime scooters. I myself have saved three individuals that have uh been compromised because of their um uh um site or uh uh canes or walkers because of uh uh uh either lime scooters or bicyclists uh on the sidewalk. So the point I want to make is if we choose to be data driven, that that data has to be comprehensive, and thus far, whether it's the mail clinic or whether it's uh homestead county or whether it's a salvation army, there is I'm just suggesting probably because of HIPAA. Uh uh, we really don't know which safety place and and how people are getting injured. So I'm gonna strike safety safety safety because this place is on the map internationally, and we have to do more than give the impression that we're concerned about safety. I want to share something with you this morning. I was at the dentist's office, and the first thing I say when I go to the dentist's office, do I get to leave with all the teeth that I came with? Because the ones I have remaining are very important to have humor. Do we need to realize how important that is, however? Um, but he said we brought up this issue tonight. He said, no one has any idea how many people this dentist's office has worked on their teeth, either by somebody riding the lime scooter or someone that was hit by a lime scooter person. So that's why we want to bring up this data. Uh there's no way to collect it. And he said, you know, he wouldn't be a cyclical minutes. But I'd like to put my business card on all the lime scooters that go around there because you'd be surprised how many people we take care of that have been hit by one or somebody riding a lime scooter. Thank you all very much. Next up we have Kim Federson. Yeah. Good evening, everyone. Um, I think my comments will build nicely on what these two gentlemen chaired. On September 25th, I was riding my bicycle commuting home from my job, and I hit a live scooter that was parked illegally on the bike path. Um, my medical, I sustained a broken elbow, um, a broken finger that required surgery and external fixation, a broken toe, and soft tissue damage to my other elbow. Um, it was $35,000 in medical costs, pre-insurance, of course, thankfully. I have insurance, and it was only about three to four grand out of pocket. Um the medical costs were the only problem. Um at that time I had a one and a half year old and a three-year-old, and it proves very difficult to be an involved mother when you can't use your arms at all. Um, I was out of work for three months. I work at the uh federal prison, and they don't allow you in if you are physically not at your prime condition. So it it was direct cost, it was indirect costs to me and my employer, huge cost to my family and my children. Um so when I see these um, I did contact lime scooter, I got very prompt responses, um, very polite responses, albeit no action, even when asking for accountability. I was not familiar with lime scooter rules because I never used them myself. Um, but after quick review of the website, it was very clear what is expected of um riders in terms of where safe parking is and everything. So that's why I contacted Line and said, hey, clearly this was uh deviation from the expectations. What can you do to help lessen the impact on my family and I? Unfortunately, we got um nowhere and um though I I think the responses, which actually I didn't even expect, but I got responses, but nowhere. Um in reviewing the slides, it's just a couple of comments um that grams of carbon dioxide save per trip. I mean, that's only if you're assuming that it's replacing car usage, I'm assuming. Um I would say my personal observations in my commuting as well as um I look on memorial parkway, a very uh popular recreation area that I'm not uh the reader writers I see do appear, like Barry said, to be very young. That I'm not the reader riders I see do appear, like Barry said, to be very young. Um they're typically messing around. They don't, I don't think they would be in a car otherwise, or they're certainly not community to or from work. Um so they appear to be recreational for the meeting. So I can't, I would disagree that it saves carbon dioxide um once you consider charging. Um the same with our um the four slide, the car trips replaced. I think that would uh be inaccurate to claim that. Um, and then as Barry was saying, a little concern with the capture, um, noting that two warnings would be issued before a five. If I'm doing my quick math right, um 20,500 riders took at least the first trip. So those are appear to be unique riders.

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