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 Early in the year, Bird Inc. approached the city
seeking to place e-scooters within the city limits. The electric
scooters are rentable using a credit card and in other locations
have proven to be a viable source of commuting around town for
people without vehicles.
Aldermen considered the request and designed an ordinance to
accommodate the use of Bird Scooters specifically in Lincoln. The
ordinance and permit process was exclusive to the company and came
with the city being able to charge a fee for the permit.
FEBRUARY 12 - Lincoln City Council
Electric scooter rentals considered
MARCH 2 – TOP PICTURE
At the Lincoln City Council's Monday night meeting the first motion
after the consent agenda was to approve Bird E-scooters' allowance
in the city. With all eight aldermen present the motion passed
unanimously.
The vote was exclusive to Bird and not an invitation for the general
public to own and operate scooters in Lincoln.
There are still details that need to be worked out with the company
and additional amendments that will be considered.
LDN will have additional information on the meeting discussion in a
future edition.
MARCH 3 - Lincoln City Council:
Bird Rides, Inc. E-scooters to be permitted in Lincoln
JUNE 29 – COMMUNITY TOP PICTURE
The Bird E-scooters have arrived in Lincoln and have been seen
zipping around the downtown area.
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The e-scooters have been in town for
a couple of weeks. There are "nesting" spots around town where folks
may rent to ride. The scooters are rented via an app on the
cellphone and are supposed to be ridden only by those with a valid
driver's license.
JULY 1 – TOP PICTURE
Caption only
Scooters in general and Bird E-Scooters specifically were back on
the floor for discussion at the Lincoln City Council meeting Tuesday
night.
Aldermen have received reports and even seen instances where
underage operators are riding the scooters. There are also reports
of careless driving in traffic with the scooters.
Mayor Tracy Welch said that Bird had been contacted. Some of the
issues have been addressed, but some circumstances cannot be
controlled or monitored electronically by the company.
Aldermen are not in agreement on what to do next and will be
revisiting the topic at future meetings.
Photo from LDN archives
In December, the city council approved extending the contract for
the scooters through 2022, but not unanimously. Four aldermen voted
in favor of the contract and four against it. Mayor Tracy Welch
provided the tie-breaker voting yes to permit.
Golf Carts
In the fall of 2021, Lincoln aldermen were approached about allowing
golf carts to navigate city streets. This topic was also met with
mixed feelings by aldermen, and as with the electric scooters, ended
in Welch making the tie breaking vote to permit.
SEPTEMBER 17 -
City of Lincoln considers permitting golf carts on city streets
SEPTEMBER 21 -
Welch provides tie breaker to pass allowance of golf carts in city
of Lincoln
Because the motions were passed in the fall of the year, there has
not been a notable populations of golf carts within city limits.
However, in 2022, motorists can expect to share city streets with
the alternative mode of transportation.
[Nila Smith]
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