Background: In May, 26-year-old Brady Gaulke died following a scooter accident in Nashville. Witnesses say he improperly turned left from a sidewalk into the street and was struck by a Nissan SUV. Police later said he had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system at the time of the accident.
Nashville Mayor David Briley recently recommended to council members that existing pilot programs with seven scooter companies come to a conclusion and e-scooters be banned from city streets.
Lime, Lyft, Spin, Gotcha, Bird, Bolt and Jump have been operating as part of a pilot program in Nashville, Quartz reports. In May, however, Briley sent a letter to all scooter operators regarding concerns the city had with current operations including improper riding, parking violations, poor rider education and visual clutter.
Over the past month, Briley's administration met with representatives from four scooter companies and considered resident feedback. Jump, Bird, Lime, Gotcha and Lyft submitted a proposed agreement regarding shared urban mobility devices (SUMDs) last Friday but Briley said he doesn't believe the proposal goes far enough to protect the safety of residents and visitors.
As such, he has recommended that existing SUMD programs be terminated and scooters be removed from rights-of-way once legislation passes.
Masthead credit: electric scooter on the street by Leika production