BOISE, Idaho — If you enjoy riding Lime scooters and bikes in Boise, you might notice a slower trip in certain areas and at certain times of day.
After multiple injuries and more than 50 concerned phone calls, the city asked Lime to reduce the maximum speeds of its rentable rides.
WATCH: Hear from Lime riders and the city about the new changes
Currently, scooters and bikes are capped at 12 mph on the Greenbelt. Riders will see a small turtle icon on their display when entering a slow zone.
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Crossing into downtown removes the slow zone restriction, allowing bikes to reach 15 mph again — but only during the day. From 6 p.m. to 3 a.m., speeds are capped at 10 mph in the heart of downtown.
And on Main Street near Boise's bars, speeds top out at 8 mph from Thursday-Sunday after 8 p.m.
The changes to greenbelt speeds and the downtown zone went into effect last week.
“These things are super dangerous,” said Madison Griffiths, who lives downtown and supports the lower speeds to prevent injuries to bystanders.
“I myself have taken a spill on a lime scooter,” she said. “They're a hazard. I have gotten almost run over a few times by kids riding scooters too fast and doing tricks through downtown.”
Idaho News 6 also talked to a large group of students from Boise High School who said they often use Lime scooters. The majority of them did not want to see them slowed down.
As we've previously reported, multiple people have recently suffered serious injuries due to e-scooters and bikes.
The city says that in September alone, Lime recorded about 150,000 rides.
Since May, the city has received more than 50 calls from residents voicing concerns — prompting the changes.
“I think what we really need from people is partnership. To join us in making our paths safer for everyone,” said Bre Brush, the City of Boise Transportation Advisor. “We have this partnership with Lime that allows us to do that quickly and get their support on that, but we need residents and e-bike owners to do the same.”
The city said they are increasing police presence on the Greenbelt to help educate riders who use their own private e-bikes and scooters, too.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
