[ad_1]
Nathan Hasse, Director of Indianapolis Operations at Lime Scooters, talks about the scooter's return to the streets of Indy.
Kelly Wilkinson, [email protected]
Scooters of lime await riders at Broad Ripple, Wednesday, September 5, 2018. (Photo: Kelly Wilkinson / IndyStar)
About two dozen city stakeholders gathered in downtown Wednesday morning to learn more about Bird and Lime scooter operations, which proved to be a popular but potentially problematic transportation option for homeowners. and local business operators.
Representatives from the Indianapolis Zoo, Salesforce Tower, IUPUI and many others came to the event organized by Downtown Indy, Inc. to ask sometimes scant questions to representatives of scooter companies and start a conversation about how entities can work together.
One of the most important issues faced by the representatives was the question of where motorized vehicles should be parked – and where they should not be.
7 things you did not know about scooters: Including what happens to them in winter
They are back: Bird, Lime Gathers to Squeeze Thousands of Scooters into the Streets of the City
Representatives of downtown businesses and organizations cited cases of riders leaning against buildings – likely to damage stone walls – and even launching a scooter into the Monument Circle fountain.
Those in the room let out a little laugh about the bird scooter swim, but the city officials were not amused.
The moment has encapsulated the nature of scooters in Indianapolis: technology that seems fun and useful to some is not a matter of laughter for others.
Despite some tough questions, Ted Fetters, senior director of government relations at Bird, said the rally was a great opportunity to launch conversations that will improve their services in the city.
"We have established many contacts with the people here to help us improve our services in the city," said Mr. Fetters. "We welcome the comments and comments of all the customers and business owners of the city, as well as city officials."
Scooters around the Salesforce Tower
The comments did not miss Wednesday.
Jeff Reynolds of Hurtz Investment Group and Salesforce Tower said the property had been flooded with scooters, a dozen people sometimes surrounding it.
In response, Reynolds met with Birds representatives who spoke with workers in the building, handing out free helmets and educating riders on where to get around and park.
Reynolds said building managers are looking to add educational pamphlets to his elevators and install vinyl decals in the secure parking areas of nearby scooters.
Representatives of lime and birds, however, were reluctant to support the creation of designated parking spaces for scooters, as some contractors had suggested, as this would defeat the unserviceable nature of vehicles.
Nathan Hasse, Director of Lime operations in Indianapolis, emphasized the importance of driver education in the safety of parking devices.
"Helping to educate runners is a very important thing for Lime," said Hasse.
An IUPUI representative expressed his safety concerns when he expressed the wish of the university not to deploy the platforms or scooters' nests on their campus every morning .
While company representatives have largely moved away from future conversations with their college relations teams, Fetters said Bird often left nests near campus rather than directly on campus.
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Buy a photo
Automatic reading
Thumbnails poster
Show captions
Last slide next
Security concerns
The issue of safety was a topic of Wednesday's interrogation, brought to the fore by an avid bird enthusiast who was hit by a vehicle on Tuesday afternoon downtown.
Fetters expressed his "condolences" to the rider Bird.
On Wednesday afternoon, the rider was still in the hospital with a minor head injury.
"We are working with the city authorities for this investigation and are cooperating fully," said Fetters. "We are very serious about safety at Bird, it's one of our # 1 goals. We actively disseminate safety information through our app, through Facebook campaigns, in town and in the UK. the media. "
Bird and Lime both develop geofencing tools that limit the use of scooters by pilots by significantly slowing devices when entering prohibited areas.
Representatives of both companies agreed that the technology is not yet precise enough to keep runners on streets or bike paths rather than on sidewalks.
In the meantime, Hasse and Fetters have highlighted their company's mapping tool that will create red lines on the map that runners use to clearly show where devices should not be mounted.
However, geofencing technology has the ability to limit operations from a larger area, such as an event space.
Courtney Helm, director of events for Downtown Indianapolis, cited Georgia Street's events as calling for the possibility of creating designated parking and attendance rules for special occasions, just as cyclists and snowboarders can be confronted when they are in trouble. ;events.
The by-laws passed in July impose additional limitations on scooter operations for events.
Kip Tew of Lime said the company was able to disable access authorization for users who repeatedly broke the rules.
As was the case for many stakeholders who asked questions, Helm and the companies agreed to have further discussions about how they would work together.
Scooters parked poorly
Under municipal by-laws passed in July, business owners who find scooters parked in gates, ramps or other illegal locations may report the scooter's identification number to the city using the app. RequestIndy or by calling 317-327-4622. .
Once a report is issued, the scooter company and the city decide to remove the device. If the city removes the scooter before the company that owns it, the company will have to pay a fee of $ 25.
All the details: Here's everything you need to know about Bird, Lime scooters
Hasse said that he has a team of Lime employees called every day to retrieve the scooters reported.
Sonya Seeder, the licensing administrator of the city's department of business and neighborhood services, stressed that the responsibility lies with the scooter companies.
"The city does not expect companies to move anything," Seeder said.
Fines imposed on drivers are not issued by the City's Department of Business and Neighborhood Services, but are issued in the same manner as drivers of police tickets for traffic violations.
Seeder said more regulations could come later to solve problems as they emerge.
Call IndyStar digital producer Ethan May at 317-444-4682. Follow him on Twitter @EthanMayJ.
Read or share this story: https://indy.st/2NQPOrl
Source link
