Bird's the word: Wauwatosa welcomes electric scooters next week

Those electric scooters that took Milwaukee by storm a few summers ago have found a new home. Starting the week of March 29, Wauwatosa will offer a new mode of transportation around town.

Wauwatosa’s Board of Public Works recently approved an agreement with Bird for the company to bring electric scooters to the city, a release said Friday, March 26.

The electric scooters can be used on roads, bike lanes, or multi-use trails — like Menomonee River Parkway. While the scooters have a maximum speed of 15 mph, they cannot be used on public sidewalks. Scooters must also be parked out of the way of pedestrians and should never block driveways.

Riders are required to be at least 18 years old to access the scooters. Riders are also encouraged to wear a helmet on every ride and required to obey all standard rules of the road. 

Bird has a local employee to manage deployment, maintenance, and recharging of the scooters, a release said.

Bird, Lime and Spin electric scooters all had scooters in downtown Milwaukee in 2019. The program was halted in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Milwaukee's Common Council has discussed bringing electric scooters back to the City of Milwaukee, but a proposal has not been finalized.

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