Bird motor scooters have made their way to downtown Raleigh, where there is a lot of foot traffic as well as another key factor: college students.
Between North Carolina State University, William Peace University, and St. Augustine University, there is not a shortage of college students that want to use the new Bird motor scooter.
It cost $1 to unlock the scooter and $0.15 per mile after you unlock it. The bike can reach speeds up to 15 miles per hour and a state issued license is required to operate it. The company has required that riders wear a helmet during the scooters use and that the bikes not be used on sidewalks.
Many people seem to be enjoying the scooters, though not everyone is as excited about their arrival. Many cities are trying to come up with regulations concerning these new bike rental services.
According to a Raleigh News and Observer story, some Raleigh residents are calling the bikes a “nuisance” and has stated that people ride them incorrectly.
Here at Peace, the university has banned them from being on campus.
WPU’s director of Public Safety, Michael John, is ultimately concerned with student’s safety.
“It is not a safe means of transportation. With our brick surface being uneven, we don’t want anyone falling and getting hurt,” John said. “Safety is the most important thing, we don’t want students getting hurt.”
Besides the bikes being a potential safety hazard, John is also concerned with more foot traffic on campus if the bikes are allowed to be kept here.
“We would have strangers coming on to the campus looking for these devices. We would have an added security issue whereby strangers would be floating around the campus. That is one of the primary reasons we do not want them on campus,” he said.
Peace senior Ezekiel Love does not understand why Birds are banned on campus.
“It doesn’t make sense to me that we can have bicycles and skateboards on campus, but not Bird bikes. If the concern is that there is a hazard about people getting hit by the bikes or there being uneven pavement, then nothing should be allowed on campus. If bicycles are acceptable, bird bikes should be acceptable,” Ezekiel said.
What about having this type of transportation on campus in the next couple of years? According to John, it is not likely that this will happen.
While Peace has decided to ban the Bird Scooters from being on campus, another school has decided to have them removed as well. The Bird company voluntarily removed the bikes from UNC Chapel Hill campus after putting them there without permission, which the Bird Company is known for doing.
The Bird company is trying to work with cities to make sure that the bikes can be a part of the community.
