QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) -- A local lawmaker is speaking out against the New York City's Department of Transportation's expansion of its e-scooter sharing program in Eastern Queens.

The DOT is expanding its e-scooter sharing program to 20 square miles in Queens.

The area includes Flushing and Auburndale in the north, Rochdale Village, and Springfield Gardens in the south. 

City Councilor Sandra Ung is against the expansion in Flushing under the district she represents. 

“While it might be beneficial to other neighborhoods, flushing is not the right place for this program,” she said.

She’s written a letter to the DOT expressing her concerns; she said the area already has plenty of transit options and is heavily congested.

“It’s nearly impossible for the elderly to use their shopping carts, parents to use their strollers or those with disability issues to navigate the area safely. The introduction of thousands of e-scooters to our already crowded streets and sidewalks will only make those problems worse,” she said.

The council member said she is also worried about public safety. 

“Pleading with the city for more enforcement of these riders who are weaving around pedestrians, going through red lights and coming close to colliding with people on a daily basis,” she said.

The DOT program was first launched in the East Bronx in 2021.

The department said that more than 150,000 unique riders had taken 3.8 million trips at that time. 

In a statement, it added:

“NYC DOT has strict safety and parking protocols to acclimate new users and keep pedestrian paths clear. We've overseen millions of scooter-sharing rides in the Bronx, helping better connect residents to mass transit and commercial corridors without a single serious safety incident and a good record on parking compliance."

People who live and frequent the area are split on the program.

“I’m not against it. It’s just that there need to be clear rules, directions and incentives to not just leave them anywhere,” Ian Gardiner, who Lives in Flushing, said.

Dee Civi lives in Bayside but visits Flushing.

“It’s overcrowded, as you can see, horrible. We don’t need them; they’re taking all over the streets. The sidewalks. Walking. They almost run you over,” Civi said.

Councillor Ung said that despite her concerns, the DOT has told her the program is going forward.

It is officially set to launch in Queens in late June.