E-scooter restrictions in place in Downtown Portland ahead of potential election unrest

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Citing concerns of vandalism, the Portland Bureau of Transportation announced they are implementing e-scooter restrictions in downtown Portland.

Starting at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, PBOT said they have implemented riding and parking restrictions for the Lime and Lyft e-scooters, creating a geofence around numerous blocks in Portland's core.

The geofence goes from Southwest Harvey Milk Street in the north to Southwest Clay Street in the south, and from Southwest Broadway in the west to Southwest First Avenue in the east.

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Scooters will be able to pass around the geofence on Naito Parkway and will be able to cross the Morrison and Hawthorne Bridges, officials said.

PBOT said they will be consulting with Portland police and Portland fire about whether to keep the restrictions in place, or even to potentially expand them.

In a press conference Tuesday morning , Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the law enforcement agency has been prepping for Election Day since he was appointed as interim chief in September 2023.

Businesses in downtown Portland have been boarding up their windows nearly a week before Election Day, and PPB previously said they plan to increase state through the week out of an abundance of caution.

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