NEW: Providence Councilman Wants Moratorium on JUMP Bikes, E-Scooters in His Ward
GoLocalProv News Team
NEW: Providence Councilman Wants Moratorium on JUMP Bikes, E-Scooters in His Ward
Correia is calling on the companies behind JUMP Bikes, Bird Scooters, and Lime Scooters to remove them from the neighborhoods of Manton and Mount Pleasant.
“I have received numerous daily complaints about these bikes and scooters being left on sidewalks, blocking walkways and driveways, and being a hazard for those with mobility issues,” said Correia.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHe added, “I have even had complaints of bikes being vandalized by young people. I believe that we need to provide alternate and economical forms of transportation across the city, but I’m concerned that a safety plan or retrieval plan are not in place. I will be inviting representatives from these companies, and the City departments that oversee these partnerships to join me for a meeting in September to hear from the community directly.”
Correia is a co-sponsor of a resolution that was passed on July 18, 2019, that calls on the City to conduct a formal analysis of the JUMP Bikes, Bird and Lime e-Scooters programs and prepare a report to be submitted to the Council for review within 30-days.
Bikes and Scooters in Providence
They first appeared in Providence in 2018.
READ: GoLocal Coverage of Scooters in RI -- BELOW
As GoLocalProv was first to report this past June, Bird and Lime scooters are being thrown into the Providence River.
Nearly a half dozen of them could be seen at low tide.
The demolition of scooters is not limited to Providence.
San Diego's Fox News 5 reported, "Dozens of electric scooters and bikes were found damaged or defaced with inappropriate words in Ocean Beach Monday, causing a bit of an eyesore. 'Honestly, I don’t know why somebody would do something like that. It must be entertaining to them,' said resident Nina Richardson. As fast as the scooters are growing across the country so are the news reports of vandalism."
The Wall Street Journal recently reported, "Venture-backed dockless scooter startups have been capital-intensive businesses facing headwinds including vandalism and regulatory uncertainty. Lime, another large scooter startup and one of Bird’s main rivals, has raised roughly $775 million since it was founded in 2017, according to PitchBook."
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