Scooters slid into North Little Rock on Tuesday, and city officials didn't see the fun.
Lime, the company that recently began a six-month trial in Little Rock, mistakenly dropped off eight scooters Tuesday morning in North Little Rock, a company spokesman said.
When Robert Birch, the special assistant to the mayor, got to City Hall, the scooters stood in front of the building, set up like a station to rent from, he said.
People can rent the scooters for a dollar initially and 15 cents per minute, according to a previous Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article.
North Little Rock does not have a contract with Lime, Mayor Joe Smith said.
In urban areas across America, scooter companies have dropped off hordes of scooters without seeking city approval, resulting in city bans and lawsuits.
Birch called the company and requested that the scooters be picked up, or the city would tow and impound them for the night.
"They drug their feet a little bit but said they would be down here," Smith said about Lime taking the scooters.
Lime employees retrieved the scooters about 2:30 p.m., City Clerk Diane Whitbey said.
Smith said this is the first time he knows of in which the company placed scooters in North Little Rock.
"Today's the first day I've ever seen them," Smith said.
Smith said he would like to see how Little Rock's trial run goes before contracting with Lime. The proposal would need to go before the City Council.
"They're a business, and they have to play by the rules like everybody else," Smith said.
The main problem with Lime putting scooters in North Little Rock is that the city hasn't had time to prepare for them and officials don't know the regulations surrounding them, Smith said.
North Little Rock has laws that run counter to how the scooters are allowed to operate in Little Rock.
Whitbey said that North Little Rock doesn't allow motorized vehicles on its sidewalks.
The Little Rock rules require that people ride the scooters on the sidewalks.
"To me, that's not safe," Birch said.
On Tuesday, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. posted on Facebook: "Mobility devices, including electronic scooters, have posed challenges to the safety of riders, pedestrians, and others ... Our City Attorney, on behalf of myself and the City Board, is writing a letter to Limebike (the company currently operating electronic scooters in our city) to determine the next steps we should take in order to ensure the safety and the quality of life for both the riders of mobility devices and for all others. "
Several North Little Rock residents have approached city officials about the scooters.
Birch said he's hearing a presentation from the company next week, but this doesn't necessarily mean North Little Rock will work out a contract with Lime.
"I don't think it's necessarily in our best interest, but we'll see," Birch said.
Metro on 01/30/2019