AUSTIN, Texas – Dockless scooters and bikes make getting around town easier for some, but they create dangerous roadblocks for others.

• City leaders issue "no deploy" zones for dockless scooter and bike companies
• Rules require three feet of sidewalk to remain unobstructed
• Additional "no deploy" zones are under consideration

Austin leaders say the blind community's reached out to them, asking for certain areas to be deemed "no deploy" zones. That's now in effect for the area around the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Central Austin. Users can still ride in the area, but the companies themselves cannot place their bikes and scooters there.

"If there is really congestive behaviors, we can establish an area for a no deploy zone," Jason Redfern of the Austin Transportation Department said. Redfern said "no deploy" zones are being considered for some Austin hospitals as a result of a high concentration of scooters blocking access to the facilities.

"You have to provide at least three feet walk space, so there are going to be sidewalks in the built environment that just can't support the dockless scooters right now," he said.

Heather Pavey is DeafBlind and frequents downtown Austin several times a week. She said she stumbles upon poorly placed scooters and bikes regularly and recalls her first encounter vividly.

"I was curious," she said. "I was trying to feel around what it felt like. Trying to see what it was, trying to understand what this was. It was a new concept for me."

Pavey is calling on her fellow Austinites to help keep walkways clear for those who cannot see the roadblocks, or who may not be physically able to move the dockless devices.

"I think leaving them in the middle of the sidewalk is just a big no no," she said. "I think they need to be left in an alcove to a building, on the grass--just not right there in the middle of the sidewalk."

Each dockless mobility operator has a permit through the City of Austin that regulates the number of scooters and bikes they can deploy at a time. Those permits expire every six months, and the contracts allow for the Transportation Director to authorize "No Deploy" zones and restrict usage in certain areas as necessary.

More than 14,000 scooters and bikes are authorized to be used as of Monday.

To learn more about dockless scooter and bicycle etiquette, click here.