NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Mayor David Briley sent the seven companies operating scooters in Nashville letters on Thursday demanding change or he would draft legislation to ban them from the city.
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The push to ban scooters has grown in popularity following the death of a 26-year-old Nashville man Brady Gaulke, who was hit while riding a scooter, last week on Demonbreun and 4th Avenue South.
Briley’s letter reads:
“Nashville prides itself on being a friendly and welcoming city for the thousands of tourists visiting us each month, but we must also be a safe city. Based upon what I have witnessed firsthand, the recent influx of scooters in our city is causing us to be less safe and more visually cluttered. The death of Brady Gaulke, a 26-year-old Nashville resident who suffered a serious scooter accident last week, has further emphasized the dangers associated with urban scooter riding. The Nashville Fire Dept. responded to 43 scooter injury calls in the month of April alone. Something has to change.
“Since scooters descended upon Nashville prior to the city having any regulatory framework in place, the Metropolitan Government has been trying to deal with the issue in a reasonable and responsible way. The Metropolitan Council has attempted, through the enactment of two ordinances, to impose reasonable regulations and restrictions on the scooter companies and riders. These include parking restrictions, including a specific requirement that scooters be parked in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); age restrictions for riders; and a prohibition on riding on sidewalks in commercial areas. While each of the above provisions is violated many times daily, the Metropolitan Government simply does not have the resources to devote to adequately address all of the problems of enforcement. Of further concern to me are the many scooters that are illegally parked and operated on the sidewalk, which makes it almost impossible for persons with disabilities to navigate. This is a great liability for the Metropolitan Government and one that can not be allowed to persist.
“I have asked the Department of Law to draft legislation repealing the existing scooter regulations and banning their operation. If I do not see a proposal from the operators amending the current ordinances to address the above concerns within the next 30 days, I will ask the Metro Council to approve this legislation.”
Sincerely,
David Briley
Mayor, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County