WHEELING, W.Va. — Motorized scooters are now being driven in the streets of Wheeling and the city police department wants citizens to know the traffic rules and safety information.
The City of Wheeling has recently introduced Bird scooters to its transportation routes. Bird scooters are part of an app-based scooter rental program where citizens can search for nearby scooters and pay to ride, similar to a ride-share app.
The motorized scooters can be found in various areas of the city, most notably in downtown and Centre Market. Lt. Josh Sanders with the Wheeling Police Department (WPD) told MetroNews that there are around a dozen scooters in the city.
The scooters can go as fast as 15 miles per hour and are not permitted on sidewalks.
“There is a huge safety concern for pedestrians who are walking with a 15 miles per hour scooter scooting up the sidewalk. You walk out the front door of a building, you get hit by a 15 miles per hour vehicle, you’ll cause serious injuries,” Sanders said.
Users must be 18 years of age or older to use and must ride on the road, Heritage Trail or in a bike lane. Only one person can ride on a scooter. Helmets are also recommended but are not required, the police department said.
Users should park the scooter anywhere on the sidewalk in the “furniture zone,” as long as they don’t block access for others. The furniture zone is the area between the curb and the walkway where there may already be trash receptacles, bus stops, benches, and bicycle racks, the police department said.
Parked devices should not block the pedestrian walkway (leave at least 6′ of space), bus stops and shelters, doorways and emergency exits, fire hydrants and standpipes, and driveways and sidewalk ramps.
Sanders said motorists need to know that both scooter users and vehicular traffic share the road.
“Motorists need to know that these scooters can take the whole lane, they do have the right away in the lane of travel when they are on the road. Motorists shouldn’t pass a scooter unless they can and it is safe for them to,” he said.
Sanders said the police department can cite scooter drivers for violations but because it’s new, the department will begin an educational campaign.
“If everybody does what they are supposed to be doing, they ride and drive predictively, they follow the rules of the road, we shouldn’t have any incidents,” Sanders said.
If there is a scooter parked in the wrong place – contact Bird directly, the police department said. The best way to have the scooter addressed is to report the specific location and problem to Bird support line at 866-205-2442, or via the smartphone Bird app.
For more information, visit wheelingwv.gov/motorizedscooter or www.bird.com.
@radiomonroe, earlier today:
“I can maybe see @MayorWheeling and Councilors @RosemaryKetchum and Ty Thorngate on @BirdScooters1, but not @ViceMayorWhg.”@ViceMayorWhg, just now: pic.twitter.com/F5fVOhct96
— Mayor Glenn Elliott (@MayorWheeling) September 19, 2022