NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — You've seen them all over downtown and have may even ridden one, but now Metro Council has placed stricter penalties on companies when scooters are parked illegally.
Last month, Metro council passed a proposal that could fine companies $10 if a scooter is parked in a no parking zone and $25 if it blocks rights-of-ways.
However, Anjali Forber-Pratt says the good idea has gotten them no closer to a solution.
“In terms of the actuality of what this mean being a wheel chair user navigating around the city we're still seeing tremendous, tremendous amounts of issues,” said Forber -Pratt
Forber-Pratt has been outspoken about her concerns in regards of scooters blocking sidewalks and paths, and now she says the enforcement is falling on us.
“We still have to notify the company and the company has two hours to respond in order to come and move the scooter,” she said.
Metro transportation officials told NewsChannel 5 they don't want to fine riders or the companies, they just want people to follow the law.
“What we expect people to do is to be responsible and put the scooters where they're supposed to be,” said Billy Fields, director of the Metro Transportation Commission.
Fields says the city is working with all six scooter companies as well as the metropolitan police department to make sure that people who are using the scooters know where they’re going to be able to leave them.
“Scooters need to be in the right place; they don't need to be in doorways, they don't need to be in front of ramps,” said Fields.
Next week Fields say the city will have designated parking spots and corrals for the electronic transportation.
“The scooter corrals will be in areas that are normally not used for parking but they’re off the sidewalks. They will give people a place to put them where there’s no impeding of any sort of progress or path on the sidewalk,” said Fields.
Forber -Pratt says in the end it should simply come down to respect.
“If we don’t stop and think, we’re making life not just hard but inconvenient and it’s a violation of civil rights, it prohibits my ability to freely go down the sidewalk,” she said.
Forber Pratt also encourages those who see a scooter parked illegally to take a picture and report it to the Metro Transportation Commission.
If anybody sees these being issues, please take pictures and go that one step forward to reporting it to the company.
