Marion councilwoman wants to explore bringing scooters to Marion

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Could electric “dockless” scooters be coming to Marion?

City Councilwoman Sherry Holliman brought the idea up of having scooters available for residents to use to get around in Marion at the September City Council meeting.

Holliman attended a recent seminar in Memphis sponsored by the St. Louis Federal Reserve entitled “Investing in America’s Workforce: Strengthening Communities and Expanding Opportunities” where the topic of expanding transportation options was discussed.

Holliman asked the Council if they would be open to having Bird, which provides electric “dockless” scooters to Memphis, provide more information to the city about possibly operating the service here.

“That could be a solution for us,” Holliman said.

“I’d like to talk to whoever is responsible for Bird in Memphis just to get an idea of how they operate and if it is a success for them.”

On-demand electric “dockless” scooters have cropped up in many major cities all across the country in the last year. Scooters can be rented using a phone app where users are charged by the minute and can be left anywhere once you reach your destination.

The scooters are being touted as an environmentally friendly and equitable form of transportation to get around crowded cities.

While increasing in popularity, the scooters are not without their share of controversy. Several cities have imposed restrictions on where they can be ridden and dropped off amid complaints about them riding on sidewalks or piling up from being left everywhere. Other cities have seen safety issues crop up with hundreds of injuries ranging from broken arms to brain trauma.

“It’s a real hazard in Memphis,” said Councilman Kelly O’Neal.

“They’re everywhere.”

There are about 1,750 scooters in Memphis and the city expects to see that grow to as many as 3,000.

The Bird scooters cost one dollar to unlock and 15 cents for every minute of use. Users must be 18 years old to use them. Scooters can be left on sidewalks as long as they are out of the way and don’t pose a hazard to pedestrians, but can’t be left in loading zones, handicap parking spots, transit zones, or curb ramps. Helmets are not required, but strongly encouraged. Scooters are picked up by dusk so they can be recharged and are distributed at 7 a.m. The scooters travel at 15 miles per hour and have a 20 mile range.

Bird pays Memphis a $365 fee per scooter per year and also collects a $50 performance bond with a $20,000 cap per device from the company that goes toward infrastructure improvements to help scooters navigate the city’s streets and sidewalks easier.

“I’m not saying we need to vote,” Holliman said.

“I’m just asking for consideration. It may be one solution. I just want to get your ideas if this is something you would support, or if you don’t think it would work for this area.”

Mayor Frank Fogleman said he would be open to hearing more information from Bird about the scooters.

“What crossed my mind is to ask them if they will look over the town and see whether they think it will work,” Fogleman said. “I’d be curious to talk to them.

Do they get damaged? Are they stolen? Do they take them back to where they found them? Also, who is liable?”

O’Neal, who works in Memphis, said the scooters are picked up each night and recharged.

“They are picked up every day by independent contractors who charge them overnight and put them back out,” O’Neal said.

O’Neal pointed out that Little Rock recently banned the scooters.

The city ended its deal with Lime citing safety concerns after just one month of use. The scooters were introduced on a six month trial that would have run through May. The city received numerous complaints about near misses to minors riding scooters and a lack of safety procedures. “Little Rock did away with them because of injuries and traffic problems,” O’Neal said.

Holliman said she would report back to the Council with more information.

“It might be something we can try,” Holliman said.