CAMBRIDGE, Md.- Scooters are starting to pop up along city streets in Cambridge as a quick and inexpensive way to get around, but some are concerned about their roll out.
The Bird ride share e-scooters are located throughout the city, beginning at docking stations. But as they're used, the scooters end up all over Cambridge.
Cambridge resident Mike Krolick says, "Anybody can probably take them or if they're left on the sidewalk the elderly people have to go around them."
Others have proposed additional scooter safety like designated scooter lanes.
"I believe if we create designated areas maybe for that, that could help minimize some of the lingering issues. The small issues that are occurring so far," said Bobbie Ennals of Cambridge.
The Mayor and City Commissioners, who approved the scooters, have defended their usefulness.
City Commission President Lajan Cephas told WBOC, "The only thing that I ask is for the city residents to be patient with us. Give us a chance to get some sort of organization and program in place and I'm willing to bet everyone's going to understand the purpose and reasoning behind us deciding that we do need this alternative mode of transportation in our community."
Mayor Andrew Bradshaw says pedestrian-scooter interactions may one day be limited as revenue from the scooters could be used for infrastructure improvements such as designated bike or scooter lanes.
"Each ride does provide revenue that does go back into infrastructure improvements for the city including green infrastructure including walking paths, bike paths and street improvements," Bradshaw said.
Julian Jackson, Bird fleet manager for Dorchester County, says he has made it his mission to make sure the scooters end up in the right place.
"We were riding through and looking for the scooters to pick them up just for those concerns," Jackson said. "Because we understand people, they're not all going to be the same setting them up."
