"Bird is currently determining whether we can viably continue to provide Birds to the people of Raleigh," Mackenzie Long said via e-mail. "The current proposed framework gives us significant pause as it dramatically limits our ability to provide transportation to the community." https://t.co/ufX3qjjLZE
This is what happens when overbearing city councilors do everything possible to discourage a company from doing business through draconian regulations and hefty taxes and fees. #ralpolhttps://t.co/Ye6h41Owdr
@RussForRaleigh the rules are going to get even MORE strict when the RFP is issued? We'll be lucky if the encroachment agreement doesn't kill the service. We're really running defense for auto dependency in Raleigh. https://t.co/oYFHbqj9xq
“After months of debate over the pros and cons of electric scooters, Raleigh’s city council signed off Tuesday on a new ordinance governing their use. But city officials say there’s a long way to go before their safety concerns are satisfied.
Under the new ordinance, which takes effect today, e-scooters are now allowed to be used in bicycle lanes in Raleigh. However, riders must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and traffic when entering or crossing a street. And scooters are still not allowed on sidewalks, greenways, or pedestrian paths.
At recent meetings, the council also agreed to cap the number of scooters in the city at 1500, to raise the annual fee per scooter from $150 to $300, and to require companies to carry more insurance on the scooters.
City transportation manager Michael Moore said those requirements have been submitted to both Lime and Bird as a proposed short-term operating agreement. He said if the companies don’t sign off on the proposal by December 6th, they’ll have to remove their scooters, or the city will remove them. ...
A spokeswoman for Bird, however, called the new rules “regressive.”
”Bird is currently determining whether we can viably continue to provide Birds to the people of Raleigh,” Mackenzie Long said via e-mail. “The current proposed framework gives us significant pause as it dramatically limits our ability to provide transportation to the community.” ...”
