A new bird has migrated to Arizona. Bird, a dockless electric motorized scooter company, has made its way to Tempe and Scottsdale and will likely be popping up in more areas across Arizona in spite of some attempts to keep them at bay. The City of Scottsdale initially sent Bird a cease-and-desist order, saying that the scooters violate the City's ordinance about motorized skateboards but this issue has since been settled with city officials. However, many still have concerns about the new scooters stating that they impose a safety hazard due to reckless driving, and little enforcement of Bird's rules. In order to ride Bird users agree on their app to follow rules such as not driving on sidewalks, having a valid driver license and being over 18, they also agree not to leave scooters on public property. If an underage rider is caught their account is disabled and other actions such as fines may also be taken. Other people welcome the new "green" form of transportation that allows them to get from point A to point B without having to sit in traffic. Many users love the convenience of the scooter, being able to just leave it to be collected later either by another user or a "bird hunter", a person who collects and charges the scooters at night. But, mostly people say they are just fun. Bird also is giving back both to the community,
offering free helmets, and the cities it is in by giving them $1 per scooter per day to help pay for more bike lanes and safe-riding programs. So, are these new pay to use scooters and bikes a public nuisance and safety concern or a new affordable green way to travel? Let us know in here in
What Do You Think?