Bird scooters nest comfortably in Cary

Allison Hutchins studies the scooter issue for the town. “It's a new issue and I volunteered for it,” she mentions then slightly laughs while standing out front of the Cary Town Hall. There seems to be just a few scooters right now in town, “It's low-key,” she said, “but we don't want to leave anything to chance.”

Hutchins presented her finding's at December's Cary Town Council meeting.

The council took action, changing an existing ordinance to better define what constitutes blocking a sidewalk and giving the town the power to remove an item if needed.

Along Chatham Street in downtown Cary, the scooters can often be seen zipping in front of storefronts and restaurants.

Justin Gulch manages Fresh Local Ice Cream, a small shop with tables along the sidewalk. “I see 'em quite a bit,” he said of the scooters, “I feel like they are convenient to get around, especially when it's cold out in downtown Cary, it's much easier to hop on a bird to get to where you are going, instead of walking and freezing longer.”

The ice cream shop sits across the road from a “nest” of scooters. Gultch believes the scooters are part of a vibrant downtown scene.

“I haven't seen anything really wrong with them, I haven't heard anyone complain about them when they come in to get ice cream,” he said.

Hutchins says the town has had no car/scooter collisions, and the flock of Bird scooters in Cary is small. She believes now is a good time to look at the issue, before the Bird becomes an albatross, “We want to stay on top of it,” she said.

Bird did not respond to a request for information on their operation in Cary.