Briley Asks for Temporary Ban on Scooters, Do-Over on Regulations

A month ago, Mayor David Briley issued a warning to electric scooter companies that he would ban the ubiquitous transportation devices if there weren't significant changes to the way they are operated and the haphazard manner in which they are often parked.  

Last week, five scooter companies submitted proposals to improve scooter operation in the city. But the mayor was apparently unimpressed. 

In a statement released Friday, Briley said he will ask the Metro Council to ban the e-scooters from Nashville's streets at least until new safety and accessibility regulations can be established. 

Here's the mayor's statement in full:

Since issuing my letter to all scooter operators, we have met with company representatives and carefully considered resident feedback. On June 14, a group including Lyft, JUMP, Bird, Lime and Gotcha submitted a proposed agreement regarding scooters in our city, and Spin has sent its own ideas. I appreciate the effort and quick response by these companies. 

After careful consideration, however, I have asked the Metro Legal Director to draft an amendment to pending Metro Council legislation that would terminate the existing scooter pilot program, immediately remove all electric scooters from Nashville streets, and direct the Transportation Licensing Commission to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) within 90 days of the Council’s approval of the ordinance. The purpose of the RFP would be to consider adding back one or two operators to provide a limited number of scooters if they are able to meet our requirements for safety and accessibility.

The safety of all Nashville residents, workers and visitors has always been my primary concern since scooters hit the streets a year ago. I look forward to a resolution that meets that need. 

Nashville's relationship with e-scooters has been

. The recent round of debate about whether they should be banned was prompted by the death of rider Brady Gaulke, who was riding on a sidewalk when he turned into a roadway and was hit by an SUV.

, however, that Gaulke had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system at the time and was responsible for the wreck.