Bismarck, Scooters Here In “The Coming Days”! Ya’ll Ready?

Now this was a story I filed back on MARCH 25th ...did ya read it then? No?

Well then get used to scooters everywhere and read on...

The story I filed back on March 25th...that's right we file stories!

(Digital files don't take up much room.)

Fine, the story I filed which will follow this update in the thread. It will tell you all about the story of these Bird electric scooters that will now be arriving in "the coming days"...

from the City of Bismarck

– The City of Bismarck is partnering with a shared electric scooter company, Bird Rides, to bring stand-up electric scooter sharing to the city in the coming days. Just in time for spring, Bird is a naturally social distanced way to get around. The scooters are available through a mobile phone application and riders pay to use the scooter per minute, at no cost to the city. “We are happy to welcome Bird to the City of Bismarck and look forward to having the scooters available to our residents and visitors. I think they’ll be a great addition to our community,” said Mayor Steve Bakken. The Bismarck City Commission unanimously approved an agreement with Bird to provide rental scooters from April through the end of the year. The Commission will hold a Public hearing on Ordinance 6459, regarding motorized scooters at its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 27, that would allow the use of Bird’s motorized scooters on the streets of Bismarck.

So if you want to say WHAT?!... I'd do it on Tuesday April 27th.

I'm Scott McGowan, for twenty years I've known y'all.  Be safe everybody.  I cringe at the concept of all this...I hope it goes well and applaud the optimism and positive thoughts of all involved.  When you go to Mazatlan and want to go see another part of the (beach/island?).  Don't know, never been there...Sounds like vacation fun though.

But if you're going from 3rd to 5th and wherever...seems it's a little traffic-heavy, and if you are a little tipsy-heavy, it could end poorly.  Must be a hefty disclaimer you agree to on your debit card.  Fair enough, you signed up for it ...and put your finger on the trigger.

Recently, there's been a profound death in the community that involved an individual simply walking

Let's not add to that this summer.

Ahead is a story that explains what the service is....

But first let's go with the hopeful outlook...seriously, take a little time to keep reading

The scooters would operate on the street and in bike lanes similar to a bicycle, and would be enabled via a geofence to operate in specific areas within the community. Scooters are available to rent between 4 a.m. to midnight via a smartphone app and all users are required to be 18 years of age or over to access the scooters. 

 

Users are also encouraged to wear a helmet on every ride and required to obey all standard rules of the road.  The electric scooters have a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour. Scooters must be parked out of the way of pedestrians and never blocking driveways. 

Kids...maybe not for you

Electric bikes are not allowed to be registered. They can ride on all public highways and roadways. And unlike regular bikes, those riding electric bikes have to wear a helmet if they are younger than eighteen.

 

BACK IN TIME WHEN WE FIRST HEARD ABOUT THIS...you can click on that, but it's really just this story below...

HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW! (from March 25, 2021)

Just a few months back I read a story about cities around the world coming to terms with e-scooter rental companies such as Lime and Bird.  It's a pretty interesting subject, but I had no firsthand experience to base any real opinion.  Well that's about to change.

On Tuesday, Bismarck City Commissioners unanimously approved an agreement with Bird, a California electric scooter company.   Bird will now drop off 100 of their electric scooters in various strategic locations across Bismarck.  The agreement is set to begin in April.

After downloading the Bird app, you use your smart device to locate and activate an electric scooter and off you go!  You pay through the app and when you get to your destination, you just leave the scooter there and go on your merry way.

Here we see a lonely scooter striking up a conversation with a street pole.

Now this scooter may just hang out there until the next rental rider hops on or it may also be retrieved for recharge by a Bismarck Bird freelancer. CBS News has this scooter retriever's story

But somebody's got to recharge all those scooters every night. So, the scooter companies employ an army of freelancers, like William Neher in Washington, D.C.

"I've been able to make anywhere between $100 to $300 a night," Neher said.

"And then you're responsible for getting them back out on the street the next morning?" asked Pogue.

"That is one big part of it. I'm about to load up at least maybe a dozen in my Prius ... I call it a clown car for scooters, quite honestly!"

An app tells Neher where to put the scooters back on the streets, and he releases the scooters at the drop points.

When this rental scooter craze first began, companies would literally just drive into town and drop off scooters without so much as notifying the city. But over the last few years there has been electric scooter backlash and outright bans in many major cities around the world.  Why would anyone want to ban the harmless scooter?

"There are other cities that are also upset that these companies just came and dumped their product, and we'd all collectively be left to deal with the impacts of what they were doing."

Yes, the impacts. People can leave the scooters anywhere, and sometimes that's in the middle of the sidewalk or on people's lawns. That carelessness infuriates other citizens to the point that scooter vandalism has been an ongoing problem.

Well at least Bismarck is on board from the beginning.  Bismarck will even have to change an ordinance that currently bans motorized scooters in the downtown area.

So expect to see 100 of these Bird electric scooters all over Bismarck.  The peak speed is about 15 miles per hour and will automatically shutdown if driven out of it designated range.  So no day trip to New Salem. Is it just more capitalistic clutter or is this a move forward in low emission transportation.  Of course electric scooter company representatives attribute the backlash as a historical repeat of the first cars versus the  horse and buggies.  That seems a bit of a grand statement.

So what will you say when you walk out of your house and find a scooter left out on your lawn?  Maybe just hop on and give it a spin!  After of course, you digitally sign the release form to free Bird from any responsibility for you breaking every darn bone in your body.

I say we should go into this with an open mind...Bird's providing everything on their end. We have nothing to lose except our dignity and maybe a couple front teeth.

I'm curious if this concept has any sustainability.

THAT'S MY STORY...WE SHALL SEE! Take it easy everyone.