Denver says it will penalize Veo for not enforcing sidewalk-riding ban

Denver city officials said Thursday that they will soon begin penalizing Veo, which provides shared scooters and other micromobility devices, if the company doesn’t find a way to curb illegal sidewalk riding.

Mayor Mike Johnston’s office, along with City Councilman Chris Hinds, said in a news release that the city attorney had found Veo to be in “non-compliance” with certain parts of its recent contract. The city’s new enforcement measures will begin Nov. 1.

A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office said the city didn’t have details available yet on how it planned to enforce the sidewalk-riding ban.

“We have a responsibility to keep our sidewalks safe and accessible,” Johnston said in the release. “Veo riders should do their part by riding and parking responsibly and keeping sidewalks clear for pedestrians. We expect Veo to help reinforce expectations, and we will continue to hold the company accountable for ensuring riders follow the rules.”

Denver has had an ordinance in place since July 1 that requires any scooter providers to use technology that prevents sidewalk riding. Veo took over as the city’s sole scooter provider in May.

The only time riders are allowed to use sidewalks is if they are on the block where they plan to park the device, and they must ride at a maximum of 6 mph, rather than the usual 15 mph.

In September, the city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure told a council committee that there had been problems with sidewalk riding but that Veo had begun using some deterrence technology. That includes audible warnings asking downtown riders to stay off sidewalks. The devices also change speeds in automatic “slowdown” zones on certain downtown sidewalks.

Between May 16 and June 30, there were nearly 340,000 “sidewalk riding events” — which included illegal activity as well as legitimate use of sidewalks, such as for parking or starting a trip, according to a DOTI report.