Downtown Houston was supposed to be a place where families could enjoy the skyline, business travelers could safely walk to dinner, and convention-goers could unwind in the city’s heart.
But behind the glossy brochures and booming tourism numbers, many longtime residents say another reality has taken hold, one where scooters and rental bikes aren’t just a nuisance, they’re a vehicle for chaos.
It starts with speed, ends in violence.
City officials and police officers say many of the scooters tearing through downtown can reach speeds up to 30 or 40 mph, fast enough to seriously injure or kill. From near-misses on sidewalks to riders blowing through red lights and speeding against traffic, enforcement has struggled to keep up.
Worse, several residents and city workers say these vehicles are being used to commit crimes.
“A 15-year-old on a scooter shot my neighbor in the stomach,” said one resident who’s lived near Discovery Green for 20 years. “They caught it all on camera. He rode back to the same business that leased it to him.”
In another case, Discovery Green’s CEO testified that a 10-year-old and a 14-year-old were arrested on scooters after robbing someone at gunpoint inside the park’s parking garage.
Park officials say the issue has become more coordinated. Word spreads online, they say, about where and when to descend in large groups.
“It’s not just one or two people,” said a Discovery Green representative. “We’ve seen up to 100 scooters on our property after hours, ripping across our lawns, damaging infrastructure, and creating safety hazards.”
The financial toll is steep. Discovery Green says it spends $150,000 every weekend to repair grass and property damage, all from donor dollars meant to keep the space beautiful for visitors.
Despite a growing number of complaints, residents say they rarely see police enforcing scooter-related laws.
One downtown camera officer, a 33-year veteran, said, “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve nearly been run over.”
He described watching e-scooter riders crash, get struck by cars, or run over others, all through surveillance footage.
And the challenge isn’t just enforcement.
Scooter vendors don’t always verify riders’ ages or limit vehicle speeds. That’s opened the door for underage riders to use the equipment for dangerous stunts—or more serious crimes.
Some residents are calling for a complete ban downtown. Others want stricter rules, including curfews, speed caps, and better oversight of who can rent and where. But until something changes, many fear downtown will continue to spiral.
“We bring in international conventions, families, visitors from all over,” said one Houston First official. “But it only takes one incident to damage the reputation—and safety—of our city.”
