Metro Council Will Consider Regulations for Scooters

Metro Council Public Works Committee Chair Jeremy Elrod has filed legislation that would regulate the deployment of dockless bicycles and scooters like those introduced by California startup Bird earlier this month.

The regulations, which will be considered for the first time by the Metro Council at its meeting next week, would require scooter companies to educate riders on traffic laws, to have an office in Nashville and to pay administrative and other costs related to their operation. Elrod tells the Scene he filed the bill, with Metro Councilmembers Anthony Davis and Burkley Allen as co-sponsors, “to get the public conversation started on this issue.”

Last week, Metro lawyers asked a court to order the removal of all Bird scooters from sidewalks and other Metro public spaces. That request followed Bird’s decision to keep operating in spite of a Metro cease-and-desist letter. Bird lawyers insisted the scooters, which can be picked up and dropped off anywhere via a mobile app, did not violate any local laws.

But in its court complaint, Metro argued Bird has violated several provisions of the Metro Code and has failed to properly educate its users about safety and local laws. The complaint, which will be considered at a June 13 General Sessions Court hearing, requests that Bird be ordered to remove its scooters from public spaces and fined $50 per day for violations.

Among the regulations proposed by Elrod:

• Any bicycle or scooter parked in one location for more than two days may be impounded by Metro

• All permitted companies must have a staffed operations center within the city

• Any inoperable or unsafe bicycle or scooter must be removed from the right-of-way within 24 hours

• Permitted operators must pay Metro’s costs related to enforcing regulation violations or damage to public property

• Any permitted vendors operating systems with more than 1,000 bicycles or scooters must include Nashville Promise Zones in 20 percent or more of their service area;

• Permitted operators must share usage data with Metro.

A Bird spokesperson confirmed company officials had received the proposed regulations and were reviewing them. 

Metro Councilmember Dave Rosenberg introduced separate legislation that would eliminate the requirement that scooter riders wear wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads but would keep a helmet requirement.