COCHRANE— Embracing a unique and sustainable mode of transportation, the Town of Cochrane and Roll Scooters have launched the town’s first e-scooter pilot program.
The program is being implemented in a phased approach. Phase one includes Historic Downtown, the Quarry, East End, Glenbow, Riverview, West Valley/Terrace/Point.
More communities may be added as demand increases.
Certain areas, like the Zero Gravity Skatepark, are off limits, and the scooters will power down, gradually decelerating when leaving the approved areas.
The Town began looking at micro-mobility options some time ago, including e-scooters, autonomous vehicles and shared bikes, said Town sustainability and transit coordinator Devin LaFleche.
When Roll Scooters approached the Town, LaFleche said he felt they would be a good fit in Cochrane.
“They had all of the answers to our concerns, had a great plan for how they’re going to support local businesses, provide some revenue to the Town for multi-modal pathways and bike lanes. It was really just a collaboration where they had a service they could offer that’s very hands-off for the town, and we could have all of these benefits and new transit option for our residents,” he said.
LaFleche said Roll Scooters will be donating a portion of the revenue from each ride, which the Town plans to allocate toward shared pathways and bike lanes.
Roll Scooters will also be providing the data collected from each ride with the Town, which will help them develop and plan transportation infrastructure.
The Town already employs a number of methods to track traffic, and the scooter data is just one more piece in the puzzle.
“We assess it to see how we can tie in better with public transit, whether it’s local or regional, how do we understand our pathways better, are we seeing incidents on certain pathways,” he said. “Just understanding how our community is being used, we start to look at things like Strava data, we get real time on-demand transit data … as well as we have some traffic counters. We’re just tying it all together to understand how we’re moving throughout our community.”
Increasing the connectivity in Cochrane through sustainable transportation options is a priority for the Town, LaFleche said.
“Connectivity is the key part,” LaFleche said. “We’re trying to provide as many options as possible. I think this is a very fun, sustainable option for Cochrane, and people have just one more way of getting around Cochrane. If you’re a visitor you can come and have a McKay’s Ice Cream and hope on a Roll Scooter and experience more of our downtown, or out into the community as well.”
LaFleche said being able to connect to various transit services seamlessly is part of the Town’s plan, and Roll Scooters will help residents make those connections more easily.
“It’s a just making Cochrane a fun, exciting place to live, where everyone can come and enjoy— Residents, visitors. It allows people to get around; to experience Cochrane you need to go all throughout it,” he said.
LaFleche said he hopes the program might cut down on some of the traffic congestion in Town.
“It’s just another way you can get around Cochrane that doesn’t require a vehicle.”
