Fredonia puts end to scooter service
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The Bird scooters will soon fly out of Fredonia.
The village Board of Trustees voted 4-1 Monday to terminate a contract with the scooter company for service in the village. Trustee David Bird, who has said he is not affiliated with the same-named service in any way, was the "no" vote.
The trustees' resolution cites a code violation that the local operator of the service got for storing the scooters on private property.
It also notes "scooters have been found in various locations after use, including but not limited to sidewalks, right of ways, residential driveways and yards."
Bird will get 30 days written notice that its contract with Fredonia is flying the coop.
Multiple trustees complained about the scooter service before voting Monday to terminate it.
"There's less scooters, they're in different places," Bird said.
"I would have to disagree. I've heard from, in the past week, seven or eight people who walk the streets of Fredonia quite often," Trustee Jon Espersen responded. "I had to move three of them yesterday… side by side right in the middle of the sidewalk."
"Their business model is, by design, a violation of our village codes," Trustee James Lynden said. "They operate in all zones of the village, which businesses are not allowed to operate in all zones of the village."
Espersen criticized usage of the scooters by riders under 18 years old. "It clearly states you have to be 18, but it doesn't really matter what the app says or what the website says. Kids are getting access to it, which just shows me, if they don't have control over that, what do they have control of?"