JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Bird electronic scooters only hit the streets ofJamestown last month, but they're already hitting some bumps in the road in the eyes of some.
During a Jamestown City Council meeting, Scott Axelson spoke out about issues he’s seeing with the Bird Scooters, like them parked in the middle of walkways and drivers not following traffic laws.
“They become a hindrance for people that may be walking,” Axelson said. “There’s scooter traffic on the streets and sidewalks going the wrong way, and you have to be extra careful because many of [the scooters] don’t have lights.”
Axelson said on his daily commute through town, he watches scooter drivers fail to follow the rules of the road and worries somebody will end up hurt if nothing changes.
The scooters do have rules posted on them for drivers to follow.
However, Axelson feels the education given by Bird and the city isn’t enough.
“If you go to a local shop to rent a bike, they’re going to go through the safety [procedures], and make sure things are set up for you. I think with these scooters, you go on the app, you’re supposed to read stuff and then you go.”
These scooters haven’t lasted past the trial periods in several towns around Western New York, like North Tonawanda and Dunkirk.
However, Mayor of Dunkirk Willie Rosas shared that he had a good experience with them until the manager of the scooters left their position.
“The manager’s job is to go get these scooters and put them in the areas that are designated for them,” Mayor Rosas said. “It was going okay until they lost their manager, then once that happened there was some issues. They were being left all over the place.”
Mayor Rosas tells WKBW-TV that he expects a second life for the scooters in Dunkirk this spring.
“I anticipate that they will have a new manager in place by springtime, and we will have them back here.”
