VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Five hundred Lime scooters will soon start cruising the streets of Virginia Beach.
“We’re so excited to serve Virginia Beach as its cultural and natural landmarks make it an outstanding new market for Lime," said Government Affairs Manager Laura Miller Brooks. "We could not be happier to work with local partners to deliver critical first and last mile transportation services to both residents and visitors alike. We look forward to building a longstanding partnership with the City and contributing to the continued success of Virginia Beach.”
Lime will join the Bird scooters that have been riding since last year.
Friday, we spoke with first-time users.
“It’s fun. I didn’t think it was gonna be as fun as it is,” said John Interiano, who was on vacation.
However, not everyone finds it a fun activity.
Earlier this week, a captain with the Virginia Beach Police Department told city council about double riding, minors riding and reckless drivers.
She said recently, there was a "five-year-old that was hit on the boardwalk by somebody on a scooter who was riding at the top speed and struck the five-year-old, and that child got his skull fractured."
She also mentioned during a 10-day time frame, officers stopped 2,000 riders – mostly on the boardwalk and bike path, which is prohibited.
It’s something that has become a headache to some locals.
“I’ve seen people who rent them getting hurt,” business owner Hugo Fonseca said. “They go into the bumps in the road or they go into the sidewalk too quickly and they go face first in the pavement.”
To help address concerns, city council voted Tuesday evening to allow riders to scoot in the trolley lanes on Atlantic Avenue.
They hope this will keep scooters off of the sidewalks, bike path and boardwalk.
In a statement, Lime said, "in the coming weeks, we plan to host scooter training classes that can help new riders understand the rules of the road and familiarize them with safe riding."
Bird scooters have geofencing, so when you go out of designated areas, the speed will decrease.
You are also encouraged to wear a helmet.
“[There are] way too many people here, especially on the weekend. The streets are way too crowded to add another factor such as scooters,” Fonseca said.
Though some beach goers are over the scooters, it won’t stop Lime from launching here Saturday.
The company said they "intend to serve all areas of Virginia Beach with affordable, sustainable transportation options and we therefore will be deliberate in deploying to all of the city's various neighborhoods, especially as we monitor demand and see where trips start and end."
