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Scooter corrals unveiled for CMA Fest since there's 4,150 scooters in Nashville

Posted at 4:03 PM, Jun 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-05 21:25:59-04

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — City officials have created scooter corrals for CMA Fest since there's 4,150 scooters in Nashville.

If all the scooters were stacked on top of each other, they would be 25 times higher than the batman building.

On Wednesday, festival goers were out in full force on scooters.

Erin Campbell said, "I'm having so much fun on this thing."

According to the Metro ordinance, in a business district, scooter riders aren't supposed to be on the sidewalk.

Campbell said, "I know you're not supposed to ride it on the sidewalk, but I'm too nervous to go on the street."

It's a rule that's repeatedly broken.

Billy Fields said, "Unfortunately, that's the way the scooters work. If you don't want to be on a street, then you probably don't need to be on a scooter."

Fields is Metro's Director of Transportation and Licensing. He said the city has unveiled some scooter corrals for CMA Fest week.

Fields said, "When we're done we'll have about 12 locations in a pilot program that goes from Demonbreun Street up to Church Street from 2nd to 4th assuming that they work, we would then begin deploying them around the city."

For example, a corral on 2nd Avenue North at Churhc Street is one spot where people can pick up and drop off scooters during CMA Fest. But whether people will do it, is still up in the air.

Campbell said, "I just found one on the street and I was told you can drop it off anywhere, so I don't know if I'll be bringing it to those exact locations."

No Scooters are allowed near the concert stages, or in the blocked off areas, in the CMA footprint.

Fields said, "They can operate around it, get up to it, park it, but we don't want them to take the scooters in just because we don't need that kind of operation, cause of the crowds."

While there's plenty of ride share pick-up spots including outside Nissan Stadium and by Ascend Amphitheater, some festival goers still plan on riding scooters, and walking the rest of the way.

Campbell said, "I feel like you can back up $20, $30, just in one day, or one trip on an Uber ride, and this is probably half the price, and it's more fun."

Lyft is a CMA Fest partner. They have 'ride and scoot' locations at 5th and Main Streets, 6th and Woodland Streets, as well as 16th Avenue South and Broadway.

You can get a 20% discount with code RIDEANDSCOOTCMA.

The transportation director said scooter companies plan on using geo-fencing to stop scooters from entering the CMA footprint.