Electric scooters in Nashville are on a 30-day notice.

Mayor David Briley said he will pursue a ban on scooters in Music City if companies cannot address safety concerns and get scooters to operate in the city responsibly within that time frame.

For too long riders have violated scooter regulations — and Metro does not have the resources to address the problems through enforcement, the mayor said.

"I have asked the Department of Law to draft legislation repealing the existing scooter regulations and banning their operation," Briley said in a letter Thursday to the seven companies that currently operate in the city.

Briley said he will ask the Metro Council to approve a scooter ban if companies cannot propose amendments to current ordinances to address concerns on how they are operated.

Despite Nashville being a "friendly and welcoming city for thousands of tourists," the mayor said the priority should be keeping the city safe.

"Based on what I have witnessed firsthand, the recent influx of scooters in our city is causing us to be less safe and more visually cluttered," Briley wrote.

"Something has to change."

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RESPONSE:Electric scooter companies respond to Nashville mayor's possible ban

Scooters in Nashville are still in apilot phase that is set to end in April 2020. Unless Metro Council takes action to keep them, they'll be banned from the city.

Bird, Lyft and Lime, three of the major scooter providers in Nashville, responded to Briley's call to action on Thursday evening. The groups said they look forward to working with Briley and city leaders to reach a solution.

“Bird has worked hard to make our service stand out as a responsible, equitable transportation solution in Nashville," a spokesperson for Bird said in an email, detailing several proactive safety and parking enforcement measures it has employed. "Thousands of Nashville residents rely on Bird as a way to get around, and we don't think banning e-scooters entirely is the answer."

A Lyft spokesperson took a similar stance.

"Lyft is committed to providing communities with mobility options that help to reduce congestion and improve transportation access," the spokesperson said in an email. "Lyft scooters play a key role in achieving these goals."

Lime said keeping visitors and residents safe is a priority for the company.

"We've done this worldwide since day one through our Respect the Ride campaign, which educates riders globally about safety and responsible riding," a spokesperson said in a statement. "We look forward to working collaboratively with Mayor Briley to create a proposal that ensures this city remains safe and welcoming for residents, visitors and businesses alike."

First scooter-related death in Nashville spurs action

The mayor's letter comes after the death of 26-year-old Brady Gaulke, who was killed last week when a car struck him while he was riding a scooter downtown.

The first scooter-related fatality in Nashville has sparked renewed debate over scooter safety.

Gaulke’s family and girlfriend called for a ban on Nashville scooters. The Gaulke family launched a petition to end scooters and had received more than 215 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.

Sean Martin, a Nashville attorney representing the family, commended Briley for his response.

“I’m glad he stepped up,” Martin told The Tennessean. “It’s time for the scooter companies to come to town, pick up their scooters and take them back. They need to be off the streets.

“These companies are not going to do the right thing on their own. I hope the council gets right to work drafting legislation repealing permission for the scooter companies to be in Nashville.”

Rules go broken

There's been an explosion of scooters in and around downtown since they first arrived to Nashville last summer.

They've been a hit among tourists and commuters alike, but have been a nuisance to others. The main culprit: Riding them on sidewalks and bad parking.

Scooters are often left in the middle of sidewalks, creating obstacles for people with disabilities to navigate around the city.

“This is a great liability ... that cannot be allowed to persist,” Briley wrote.

Scooters are banned from operation on sidewalks downtown and cannot be parked on public rights of way. In areas where sidewalk-riding is permitted, riders must yield to pedestrians and give warning when passing them.

Riders must be at least 18 and obey the rules of the road, the same as any other vehicle on the street.

But the rules go largely broken.

The Metro Council voted in March to further regulate electric scooters, including fining riders when they illegally park and operate scooters.

The measure — sponsored by Council member Jeremy Elrod — has, for the most part, been supported by representatives of scooter companies looking to close the gap of understanding by riders on how to properly operate scooters.

Yet, little appears to have been done since.

The Nashville Fire Department said it responded to 43 emergency calls in April related to scooter injuries, while officials at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's trauma center and emergency department estimate seeing about one major traumatic brain injury a month.

While there is a demand for scooters in Nashville, if they aren't working,"they should go," according to Elrod.

"However, not enough is being done by everyone involved to try to make this pilot project work. Metro has the ability and authority to do more to make scooters work," he said Thursday night, urging the Metro Transportation Licensing Commission and the mayor’s office to do "everything possible using the tools" and the authority have to curb improper scooter use.

The city's transporation committee is required to submit a report to the Metro Council by July 1 with recommendations and proposals for changes to scooter regulations. Elrod said he looks forward to the study to see what changes can be made.

Meanwhile, he said Metro can clawback on the nearly 4,000 scooters that currently operate in the city.

"Metro needs to have at least some enforcement as there hasn’t been any, and it must build more protected bike infrastructure for scooters and bicycles," Elrod said. "Everyone must do better, and I have always been open to changes the Metro Council should make."

Scooters have 'failed'

In the first mayoral forum on the election season, the four major candidates agreed that scooters in Nashville are not working as is.

Challenging Briley in the August election is state Rep. John Ray Clemmons, council member John Cooper and retired Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain.

"The experiment has failed," Briley said at the forum Wednesday. "We have got to go back and look at it again to figure how we can improve on the presence of scooter in our town."

Swain said public safety officials need to make a decision on whether to encourage scooters in Nashville.

"It doesn't seem to be regulated to keep people safe and that's a problem," Swain said. "Do we need it?"

Scooters, Cooper said, have shown how unsafe Nashville's roads, rights of way and streets have become. It's an issue that should concern everyone, he said.

"Every person in Nashville needs to be involved in reshaping scooter law when it comes up," Cooper said.

Clemmons said that currently he doesn't see scooters as a last-mile option — not until the city has the proper infrastructure to make it possible.

"I've tried to like scooters — I just can't," Clemmons said. "As scooters sit today, they're simply becoming toys for tourists."

This story includes reporting by Jamie McGee.

Yihyun Jeong covers politics in Nashville for USA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE. Reach her at yjeong@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @yihyun_jeong.

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