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Bird won't fly in city

The Bird ride-share company wanted to place around 50 standup scooters in downtown Hendersonville and beyond.

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 13, 2021

Bird won't fly in Hendersonville.

Invited by the Bird scooter company to allow the electric vehicles downtown, the City Council demurred.

“Our inclination just from a general consensus is the City Council and Downtown Advisory Committee don’t support the scooters," City Manager John Connet said last week. "We notified Bird that we just didn’t feel like it was good fit for our community.”

Chris Stockwell, a senior manager for Bird, told council members on March 4 that the company wanted to bring around 50 scooters to the city.

"The goal is to decrease car trips, decrease car emissions and (provide) a number of other transportation benefits," he said. Many cities require users to wear a helmet and have a drivers license. The company said it would bring in the scooters at no cost to the city and assign an account manager who would be available 24/7 to respond to any problems that come up.

Initial reaction to the standup scooters was less than enthusiastic. When the Lightning broke the news, comments on the tail end of the story opposed the idea 6-0.

"Hendersonville has a quiet lovely downtown where people, in non-Covid times, enjoy gathering and enjoying a good meal and great conversation," one said. "We do not need the noise or danger of scooters all over the place. Please do not consider the idea!"
 
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