Invasion of the Scooters
Micromobility and the future of Alexandria’s streets
By Michael Pope
ALEXANDRIA, VA-You’ve seen these things all over Alexandria. In the past few weeks, it seems like scooters are everywhere. City Council approved a nine-month pilot program late last year, but the spring weather is now creating the opportunity for a massive influx of scooters all over the city.
The pilot program approved by council members suggested users will leave devices at appropriate locations. Is that a broken promise? How is the pilot program going? Will dockless mopeds be next? Agenda Alexandria will be hosting a May 20 panel discussion on scooters and the future of micromobility in Alexandria. Panelists include:
Jennifer Huddleston is a research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center who has written extensively about micromobility. A native of Florence, Alabama, Huddleston lives in Fairfax City. She has a B.A. in political science from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and a J.D. from the University of Alabama. A former corps member at Teach for America, Huddleston taught elementary school art in the Mississippi Delta before working for a higher education nonprofit and ultimately joining the Mercatus Center.
Will Nicholas is vice president of operations at Bolt Mobility, one of the seven companies approved to have scooters in Alexandria during a nine-month pilot program. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Nicholas lives in Brooklyn. He has a B.A. in sociology from Northwestern University. Before working at Bolt, he worked in sales and communications for Tesla.
