Bird to host safety workshops in 100 cities this summer

Dive Brief:

Bird announced it will host a 100-city "s.h.a.r.e. Safe Streets" tour this summer to educate the public on how to properly ride and park Bird e-scooters.
The interactive workshops will provide attendees with five "s.h.a.r.e. tips" that Bird has developed. According to a company release, those tips are:
- Safe riding. Navigate traffic and bike lanes with care.
- Heightened awareness. Anticipate what others might do.
- Always alert. Save the selfies and music for after the ride.
- Respect for pedestrians. Yield and keep walkways accessible.
- Every voice matters. Get involved to help your city reshape its streets.
The tour kicked off in San Jose, CA on Wednesday, and continues today in Nashville, TN. Other participating markets from around the globe are to be announced soon.

Dive Insight:

At the safety event in San Jose, Bird representatives handed out materials with rider tips and information on the Bird Access program. Bird operates alongside Lyft and Lime in San Jose; just this week, the city joined the new Open Mobility Foundation to better govern its scooter program.

Materials distributed at Bird's safe streets event on June 26.

Bird

Bird's decision to also bring the event to Nashville this week is interesting considering Mayor David Briley's recent call to ban e-scooters, following the death of a 26-year-old man. Bird is partnering with Walk Bike Nashville for the workshop, however it is unclear if city officials are involved with the effort. The city of Nashville and Mayor Briley's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Lime has also tested educational workshops. Last week, the company introduced a "First Ride Academy" in Chicago designed to "ensure that Chicago riders know the basics of safe scooter riding and responsible parking." Scooter riders took more than 60,000 trips in Chicago in the first week of the pilot and city hospitals saw at least 10 injuries in that week involving scooters, according to Streetsblog.

While safety workshops are well-intentioned, more work is needed from operators and cities to promote and enforce safe trips. Some cities have proposed bills to enhance street design and increase protected bike lanes, while others have discussed prohibiting late night scooter rides.