“This is like a gift for MSU students,” Antione Taylor, an MSU student, said.
Students say Bird scooters are getting hard to find and there are a lot less zipping in-and-out of traffic on-campus.
That’s because MSU Police have impounded at least 140 of these electric scooters.
MSU Police Captain, Doug Monette, says the department is treating Birds like they would any other type of motor vehicle.
“They can’t be driven on the sidewalks,” Monette said. “There has been situations where officers have educated people as well as enforcement.”
The bike lanes are not a place for the scooters either.
“The bike lanes are for bikes, not motorized vehicles,” Monette said. “And that’s a safety concern and that’s why they need to be in a roadway.”
Parking is also a concern. MSU Police Department say the motorized scooters can be parked in moped parking areas with the proper permit or at a metered parking spot and don’t forget to put money in the meter.
In an emailed statement from a Bird representative, “The MSU community has embraced out last-mile solution as a way to more easily get around campus…As birds are impounded on campus, we will engage with the university officials to investigate each incident and take necessary action.”
Taylor says the scooters motivate him.
“I can’t wait to go to class just so I can ride a Bird,” Taylor said.
Scooters like this are popular because they’re cheap, easy to use, and take only an app to find and use one which is why East Lansing is taking more of a wait-and-see approach.
East Lansing Mayor Pro Temp, Erik Altmann, says they are still trying to figure the scooters out.
“We didn’t get any notice as I’m sure you know,” Altmann said. “Bird dropped their scooters without telling us so we found out at the same time as everybody else.”
So far, it seems everyone is enjoying them.
“We’ve had people of all ages email us and say these things are great, I’m looking forward to using them, leave them alone and we’re totally open to that,” Altmann said.
But the city’s first priority is safety.
“It might be easy to walk around but if you’re in a wheelchair or if you’re visually impaired, then having an obstacle in the middle of the sidewalk could be a problem,” Altmann said.
Taylor said if the scooters disappear, “I feel like I would be a child that just got all of his toys taken away on Christmas.”