Bird E-Scooters Zoom Into Vienna Through Pilot Program

VIENNA, VA — E-scooters from Bird are on the way to the Town of Vienna after the first operator received approval for the town government's e-scooter pilot program.

Bird will supply 25 to 50 e-scooters, also known as shared mobility devices, early next week. The e-scooters will be deployed to designated town locations.

Vienna's e-scooter program resulted from a state law requiring localities to have an ordinance or pilot program in place to regulate e-scooters and other shared mobility devices by January 2020. Vienna Town Council approved the shared mobility device pilot program in December 2019, and Bird is the first company with approval to operate e-scooters in the Town of Vienna. Fairfax County already permits Bird and LINK to each deploy up to 300 devices in the county.

"Our SMD pilot is for one year during which time we will gather information about use, safety and other details to present to the Town Council," said Vienna transportation engineer Andrew Jinks. "The Town Council will use the report to inform the direction of a permanent Town SMD ordinance."

Mayor Linda Colbert and Town Manager Mercury Payton were among the officials who tested out the e-scooters on Wednesday. Payton called it a "low-cost and environmentally friendly way to get around," while Colbert said operating the e-scooter "seems very user-friendly."

The speed of the e-scooters will be regulated by GPS technology based on location. The town anticipates e-scooter riders will ride on the sidewalks on the busier Nutley Street SW and Maple Avenue. On those streets and in the area of town schools, parks and recreation centers, the speed is limited to 8 miles per hour. In less congested areas, the speed limit is 15 miles per hour.

In Fairfax County as a whole, e-scooters may be used on highways, sidewalks, shared-use paths, roadway, or crosswalks and cannot go above 10 mph.

E-scooters are available to rent through Bird's mobile app. Riders pay a per-minute fee, and discounts are available for veterans, senior citizens, healthcare workers, qualifying students and select community groups. Riders may use their own helmet or obtain one through Bird's free helmet program.

When renting an e-scooter, riders must park them upright in areas that will not obstruct public right-of-way, pedestrian access, or access to buildings. Misplaced or damaged e-scooters should be reported through Bird's app. The company uses GPS tracking to retrieve scooters overnight and place them in designated locations on the app's map.

Other questions and concerns about shared mobility devices in the Town of Vienna may be sent to Andrew Jinks, Town of Vienna Transportation Engineer atAndrew.Jinks@viennava.gov.

Elsewhere in the county, residents can also contact the e-scooter company to move improperly parked devices. Concerns related to e-scooters and other shared mobility devices in Fairfax County can be reported to consumer@fairfaxcounty.gov.