BY

Atlanta wants to regulate all of those free-floating bikes and scooters that have popped up around the city.

They’re known as dockless devices. People can rent them with their smart phones and leave them wherever they want.

Since they showed up on city streets, bikes have end up abandoned on sidewalks. A recent photo showed a scooter-rider on the interstate.

James Curtis, who uses a wheelchair, told Atlanta City Council members at a work session Friday that a stray scooter recently blocked his path.

“These scooters are not friendly to the sidewalks,” Curtis said.

At the meeting, the city planning department said it was open to new transportation modes, but proposed a few different rules to keep the scooters and bikes in check.

One would cap how many devices a company could operate in the city at 600. Another would require that devices lock to another object, like a bike rack.

An additional regulation would require companies employ staff in Atlanta to manage operations.

At least five bike and scooter companies showed up to the meeting. They all supported the idea of new regulations, but each disagreed on which was appropriate.

The Atlanta City Council plans to continue working on the issue in the coming weeks.

This story was provided by WABE.