PUEBLO — More and more of the electric scooters, Birds, are popping up throughout Pueblo.
"I saw three boys on those motor scooters the birds... One was right in the middle of the road, if I didn't stop quickly... He would've gotten hurt," said Lisa Burgard, a concerned citizen who posted about the incident on Facebook.
Burgard got many comments on her post from people in Pueblo with the same concerns.
"I was shocked, I was scared, I didn't want any child hurt," said Burgard.
Now, Burgard is pleading for stricter enforcement when it comes to Bird regulations.
"Something needs to happen," I'm just afraid someone is going to get hurt or a kid is going to end up dead before they do something."
According to the Terms & Conditions, Bird Drivers must be 18-years old or older.
However, when renting a bird, no form of identification or age verification is required - only an email and a form of payment.
"It's a new thing, so we're adjusting accordingly. We haven't written any citations yet," said Sergeant Frank Ortega with the Pueblo Police Department.
Citations will cost $75.00 and drivers can be arrested for Driving Under the Influence if caught driving a bird intoxicated.
"Because it's a new thing, we always try to educate... But at some point, somebody will get a ticket because... It's one of those things that people are going to violate those rules and regulations that are in place for the safety and well being of the community," said Sgt. Ortega.
Birds are only meant to be driven in bike lanes. Places like the middles of the road, sidewalks, and the Riverwalk are prohibited.
Some Birds slow down when reaching a restricted area, but others have witnessed Birds being used on the Riverwalk.
One owner of a company which manages the Birds told News 5, the situating began getting out of hand when Bird began bringing in more scooters after a successful three months. The Owner of the company says other companies outside of his are now contracted to manage certain scooters, instead of one company managing all of them.
Bird has previously issued a statement regarding concerns if Underage Driving, which can be found here.
News 5 reached out to Bird for comment on the issue, but is awaiting a formal response from the Press department.
