Scooter Land in Providence - No Helmet, Under 18, Drive on the Sidewalk - No Worries

The Bird Scooters, which landed in Providence last Friday unannounced, are now the wild, wild west of transportation in the capital city. The motorized “razor-like” scooters were just dropped on the corners of Providence. No permit. No announcement. No enforcement.

The scooters are not supposed to be ridden on the sidewalks, operators are supposed to be 18 years old, and those operating are encouraged to wear a helmet.

But, the controversial scooters are constantly on Providence sidewalks — nearly exclusively, few wear helmets and GoLocal watched one operator — who looked to be 12 to 13 years-of-age riding on the sidewalk and without a helmet.

GoLocal staff watched near misses with cars at intersections and with pedestrians on city sidewalks. In other cities, enforcement has been swift. Some cities have blocked their arrival or offered permits, in part, to protect those with disabilities,

But in Providence, the scooters are often left at corners of intersections blocking American with Disabilities sidewalk ramps creating obstacles for the disabled and a blockage for wheelchairs.

Want to talk to the company? Good luck. There is no phone number and press inquiries to the company had to be sent repeatedly. After two days of emails, the company responded, “Bird encourages people in communities to report incidents of abuse to our safety policies, and irresponsible behavior on Birds, to the company. We investigate all reports directed to Bird thoroughly and take appropriate measures when necessary, including removing people from the Bird platform."

The company did not respond that GoLocal reporters saw no one individual wearing both a helmet and operating on the street, and the company did not respond to the question.

While the scooters are unregulated in Providence, Boston has taken a harder line, Cambridge, MA has deemed them illegal, and Portland, Oregon — the preeminent biking city — is taking a hardline offering a temporary permit and enforcement. Controversy has already hit the Portland rollout.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is warning the electric scooter companies not to show up in Boston without permits and approval.

“They can’t just show up here, there has to be some regulation and some notification of what’s going to happen,” Walsh said last Saturday according to the Boston Herald. “If they drop them off here, we’re going to pick them up off the street and they can come pick them up at the tow yard.”

Cambridge, MA received the scooters the same day as Providence has not confiscated the bikes, but has sent a warning letter to the California company that they are operating illegally.

“The City will not permit Bird’s electric scooters to be parked and used on City-owned streets, sidewalks, and other public property without all required authorizations and permissions having first been obtained,” Louis DePasquale, Cambridge’s city manager, wrote in a letter to Bird sent Tuesday. “Any operation by Bird of its electric scooter business on Cambridge streets and sidewalks without prior authorization from the appropriate City permitting authorities would be illegal.”

In Portland, OR, Birds Were Permitted, But Controversy Hit at Launch

“Electric scooter startups Bird and Skip have landed permits to operate in Portland under a new pilot program that aims to gauge how the controversial form of micro-transportation will fit in the city. And already there’s a bit of drama, or call it skeptical-scooter feelings, scuttling about,” reports Tech Crunch.

According to the report, the City of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will run a trial until November 20.

Then city official will evaluate the program and make a recommendation if the scooters are “compatible” with the city’s transportation plan.

Tech Crunch reports report, that one PBOT staffer sent a “snarky Tweet” that suggests that the scooters are something more repugnant: just another toy for tech bros.

"Safety is a top priority for Bird as a company. The well-being of our riders is something we protect through concrete action, including restricting the speed to 15 mph maximum, requiring riders to upload a driver’s license and confirm they are 18 or older, providing an in-app tutorial on how to ride a Bird and how to park it, and posting clear safety instructions on each Bird. In addition, we were the first in the industry to offer free helmets to our riders. To date we have distributed almost 40,000 free helmets to Bird riders,” said the company in an email to GoLocal.

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