Scooters coming to Shawano in May

Council approves agreement with Bird Rides, ordinance to regulate devices
By: 
Lee Pulaski
City Editor

Visitors to Shawano and those who call the city home can expect to see electric scooters moving around the community after the Shawano Common Council approved a memorandum of understanding April 13 with Bird Rides Inc.

The council also adopted an ordinance regulating the use of scooters.

The agreement with Bird Rides allows the scooters to be operated on most streets, with the exception of Green Bay Street and other streets with a speed limit above 25 miles per hour, along with bike lanes and bike paths. While the scooters will be available to rent 24 hours a day, the city can opt to limit operational hours from 4 a.m. to midnight.

The ordinance opens up the option for other scooter licensees to operate within the city, but requires that requests for more than 300 scooters get approval from the council first. Licensees will be required to relocate improperly parked scooters within three hours notice if the notice occurs between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and by 10 a.m. if the violation occurs after hours.

Scooters will be required, under the ordinance, to have wheel-lock technology to prevent unauthorized use, and geofencing has to be used to prevent scooter usage in prohibited areas. Sidewalk scooter usage is prohibited, and the speed limit for scooters is 20 miles per hour. Operators must be at least 18 and have a driver’s license.

City Administrator Eddie Sheppard said the concept of electric scooters in the community was well received when Bird presented the idea last month.

“It’ll be a nice, little thing for us to have, especially with tourists in summer,” Sheppard said.

City officials felt it was important to establish an ordinance before entering into any agreements with any scooter companies, according to Sheppard, noting that other cities were establishing their own laws to regulate not only scooter companies but anyone who owned a scooter privately. The ordinance is for electric scooters only and won’t impact gas-powered scooters.

“We’re not regulating them,” Mayor Bruce Milavitz said. “They’re being regulated through state regulations.”

Milavitz added he’s been in another community recently that had Bird scooters, and it looked like they were well received and well regulated.

“I think we’re going to be in a good position by doing this right away,” Milavitz said.

Scooters could be hitting the streets in May, provided that Bird Rides can find a local partner to manage the scooters.


lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com