Rentable e-scooters are a mainstay in downtown, South and East Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe. The dockless micro-vehicles can be activated with a mobile app and driven within designated zones. The companies that own them, Bird, Lime, Lyft, Spin and Uber, collect the scooters every night and recharge them.  

By next year, the e-scooter market will grow to $13.9 billion, double its value a decade ago. Popularity has increased annually since the scooters became commercially available 20 years ago. 

Today in American metropolitan areas, an estimated 1 in 30 vehicles on the road is an e-scooter. But while Phoenix last year enacted a permanent policy for e-scooter rentals, other metro cities like Glendale and Peoria have outright banned them. 

In Maricopa, 2 in 3 people prefer the abolitionist approach, according to a poll of 500 InMaricopa readers this week. 

“The bottom of Tempe Town Lake is covered with those things,” said Johann Casper. “Next stop: Copper Sky.” 

One-third of people surveyed, however, would welcome e-scooters in a city with very limited public transit and a Walk Score of 13 out of 100. 

“What a fun and cost-effective way to spend time outside even in the summer,” said Racho El Dorado resident Jennifer Lykken. “My best friend and I have the fondest memories of renting Lime scooters and exploring Old Town Scottsdale.”