GREENSBORO, N.C. - Motorized scooters hit the streets as a fun, new way to get around town. But right now, they’re nowhere to be found.
Greensboro Police rounded up and locked away both Bird and Lime Scooters. However, it might not be the last you'll see them. The city council could create rules with new safety regulations, before the scooters may be allowed to come back.
But before they got taken off the streets, one Greensboro visitor took a ride for the first time – and it sent her to the hospital. Francesca Gallelli didn’t realize how fast her Lime Scooter would go, and she wiped out on the pavement, all scraped up.
“A lot of my legs, a lot on my arms too,” she said, “They were actually burns, they were considered burns at that on the road, black asphalt pavement. It’ll take a little longer to heal, I've still got the bandages.”
After a CAT scan, Gallelli learned she also had a mild concussion. She’s grateful things weren’t worse, after hearing from her doctors and nurses how frequently people come in due to injuries from the motorized scooters.
“There’s no real laws, or rules, or protection yet. It’s a very new technology and it’s a very new company that’s doing this," she said.
So new, in fact, Greensboro doesn't have rules for them. City leaders banned the scooters after requesting one of the companies, Bird, to round up their scooters earlier this year. When they didn’t do that, GPD took scooters off the streets, locking them up until the company gets them.
As for the other company, Lime, it made a specific agreement with UNC-Greensboro to operate on campus, but officials with the school said, Lime picked up those scooters as a courtesy to the city.
The plan now is to work making new rules, to regulate and accommodate the use of the scooters. Greensboro City Council will take a look at that on November 20th.
As for Winston-Salem, scooters aren't banned there, but the city will discuss creating new rules later this month.
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