by Isaac French, WIBW TV
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - More than 4,500 Topekans have hopped on a bird scooter since the program first launched in April but some riders are using the service for illegal activity.
A representative from Bird Scooters had a discussion with Topeka City Council, Tuesday night.
They discussed a change to the service after several incidents of graffiti, drawn by tire marks, popped up around the city.
The service is adding geofencing and no wheel zones, which brings riders to a gradual stop when they enter certain zones during certain times.
Geofencing was implemented in identified problem areas for skid mark graffiti and areas such as downtown and Gage Park.
The no wheel zone for the downtown area is effective Thursday through Sunday after 11 P.M.
Bird says that they will actively work with TPD to resolve the issue and identify culprits but councilman Mike Lesser believes their resources should be focused elsewhere.
“I don’t want law enforcement enforcing traffic laws in regard to scooters, that’s not what they’re here for. We’ve had a tragic past couple of days with shootings and we’re short staff and its tough enough, the last thing I want is our law enforcement officers worrying about citations for scooter graffiti.”
Bird says they do have plans to bring non-skid wheels to the area.