City officials assured City Council members that Bird Bike Share’s electric bike and scooter rental program presents “zero risk” for the city, despite concerns by City Council members that the program could result in additional responsibilities for the Jamestown Police Department. Pictured is Elliot Raimondo, city corporation counsel. P-J photo by Timothy Frudd

City officials believe Bird Bike Share’s electric bike and scooter rental program presents “zero risk” to the city and could be a beneficial form of transportation for the Jamestown community.

Earlier this month, Bird Bike Share presented an opportunity for the city to partner with the company to introduce an electric bike and scooter rental program to the Jamestown community. According to the company’s proposal, Bird Bike Share would be responsible for the capital cost, maintenance cost and any other expenses as part of the rental program. In return for allowing the rental company to operate in Jamestown, the city would receive a portion of the revenue generated through the program.

Elliot Raimondo, corporation counsel, told City Council members that after reviewing the one-year pilot program since the last work session, he believes there is “zero risk” for the city.

“I know at the last meeting Councilman Russell deftly pointed out some of the perceived flaws in the business plan offered,” he said. “However, those are the private contractor’s risks, not the city’s risks.”

Some of the potential flaws pointed out at the last meeting by City Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large, and other council members include the possibility of vandalism, theft and liability in the event of an injury or accident.

While Raimondo assured City Council members that these risks would be assumed by Bird Bike Share, Russell pointed out that the city could still be responsible for addressing problems with the program, such as residents illegally riding the bikes or scooters on street sidewalks instead of on the road. Russell warned that the program could cause the Jamestown Police Department to have to address the issue of residents violating city code by improperly riding the electric bikes and scooters.

“That is a possibility,” Raimondo said. “I’m sure you notice probably during the summertime, we have a lot of individuals doing that already with private everything, from lawn mowers to motorized scooters, to any sort of riding devices.”

Raimondo added that the issue of city residents using motorized equipment on the sidewalks already keeps the police department busy during the summer months. According to Raimondo, a “significant amount” of “ATV type vehicles” were confiscated due to violations in 2022.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist explained that many electric bike and scooter rental programs utilize a built-in speaker that recognizes when a rider is on the sidewalk instead of the road and can warn riders to get off the sidewalk and remain in compliance with city code. While Sundquist said he was not sure if Bird Bike Share utilizes that specific technology, he suggested that his administration could get additional answers for City Council members.

“Many communities and cities have started to implement that in their bikes and scooters, using their GPS to understand if you’re on the sidewalk versus the road,” he said. “We could certainly take a look to see if that’s a feature available. I do know that they, in particular, require that as part of their app that you’re confirming that you’re not going to be on sidewalks, and it’s part of their tutorial before you can ride any of those items.”

Asked how many electric scooters and bikes the company would deploy in the Jamestown area, Zach Altschuler, executive assistant to the mayor, said the company is currently planning to deploy roughly 50 bikes and scooters. He also explained that Bird Bike Share does not plan on having every electric scooter and bike available at one time. According to Altschuler, the company is required to keep at least one-third of the bikes and scooters in reserve for maintenance and charging purposes.

Sundquist told City Council members that the city has also been in discussion with Jamestown Community College regarding the potential for electric scooters and bikes to be introduced at the college as well, in order to address what he described as “micro mobility issues” of providing students with various modes of transportation to various places. Sundquist said the city’s discussion of electric scooter and bike rentals has also generated interest from other entities.

“I will say since this discussion, we’ve had at least one other county reach out to us asking us about this program as well,” he said. “They’re very interested in watching what we’re doing.”

Sundquist explained that if the City Council approves the electric bike and scooter program, Bird Bike Share plans on implementing the program in Jamestown this summer. He also said Jamestown would be one of the first cities to adopt the electric bikes program, which Bird Bike Share first introduced about a year ago.

“There’s no other municipalities around us that have done the e-bikes like this along with the scooters,” he said.