GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A new way to get around the streets of Green Bay and Appleton– electric scooters have hit the town.
Before riding, Green Bay city planner Stephanie Hummel emphasizes safety.
“Please yield properly, please be respectful of pedestrians. We’re really trying to make sure this is a safe, usable option for everyone in our city,” Hummel said.
Hummel also says riders should not be scooting on sidewalks.
“We aren’t seeing a lot of people wearing helmets. We would love to see a lot more helmet usage on the people riding the scooters,” Hummel said.
Professional Standards Capt. Ben Allen with the Green Bay Police Department says police have had a few incidents with electric scooters, but nothing significant.
“That ranges from some traffic violation type things to really kind of some property destruction with them,” Allen said.
Police have concerns about riders scooting after consuming alcohol.
“We have been seeing some bar patrons get on the scooters after they’ve been consuming alcohol. That is a concern. We voiced that concern with the folks over at city hall and also with Bird themselves. Our plan is to shut them off at 10 p.m. so they can’t be used in that area,” Allen said.
Dr. Brad Burmeister, an emergency doctor at Bellin Health says he hasn’t seen any significant cases or accidents in relation to electric scooters.
“We do know that in some parts of the country where they were really widely adopted that there has been a significant increase in the number of trauma patients arriving with significant injuries from them. I’ve ridden them before, they’re really fun to ride around, they’re a bit economical, and they’re a good means of transportation so people should just be aware that they can be dangerous, and you can do several things to try to mitigate risks when riding them,” Dr. Burmeister said.
Allen says the Green Bay Police Department received one report of an electric scooter accident.
He says only minor injuries were sustained.
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