JANESVILLE, Wis. — The electric scooter company Bird has now flown to Janesville, but some residents say there have been some issues with its launch.
Erin Davis is the assistant to the city manager in Janesville. She says since bringing Bird to the city, people have enjoyed riding the electric scooters.
“We were looking at mobility and what new amenities we could have that might bring people to the downtown and help people get around,” she said when talking about why the city decided to work with the company on bringing the scooters in. “I think we’ve seen more people downtown than we typically have.”
Davis added that lots of people are enjoying the scooters, especially young people.
“People just love riding them,” said Davis “Everybody’s got smiles on their faces.”
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Paul Murphy is a Janesville resident. He says he can see why people would enjoy the scooters.
“I’ve seen positives,” said Murphy. “When you see a mother with a son riding around, that’s a good feeling.”
However, Murphy said the scooters have created more problems than they are worth in Janesville. He shared the photos he has taken since the scooters have arrived in Janesville. The images show skid marks on newly paved roads, underaged people driving the scooters and issues with people parking the scooters in places where they don’t belong.
“I don’t know if Janesville is big enough for a third-party scooter company,” said Murphy.
The introduction of the Bird scooters is a part of a pilot program that will continue through October. Once the Birds go away for the winter, the city will reassess and see if they want to continue to work with Bird to allow them for next year.
The electric scooter company did not respond to News 3 Now’s request for comment for this story.
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