By Jeff Hall| Founding Publisher
By now we’ve all seen the Birds – those battery-operated scooters that zoom all around.
They do look like fun and possibly a good substitute for our propensity to always want to jump in a car.
But there are safety concerns, as well.
In Santa Monica and Venice, where there are LOT more Birds than you see in Brentwood, you can practically hear the anger level rising.
They’re not all Birds. There are Limes, too.
The safety concerns are obvious – riders dart in and out of traffic, pay little attention to stop signs or stoplights and very few wear helmets.
If there is an age limit, it doesn’t feel like too many care. Some very young Bird riders can be seen especially as you get closer to the beach.
I saw a young boy, maybe 12, riding a Bird the other day.
I think the parents sign them in – and then off the kids go.
It’s just a matter of time before there’s a serious accident.
The drumbeat is getting louder to rein in these scooters – or maybe get rid of them completely.
There is a page on Instagram called “Bird Graveyard” that shows pictures celebrating the destruction of Birds. Some Birds are buried in the sand; others are piled up and torched; others get beaten to a pulp, as if by sledgehammers.
There are reports of people with wire cutters going around snipping the cables that enable Birds to run – and stop.
I am signed up with NextDoor, kind of a digital bulletin board that keeps one posted on all that’s going on in the immediate neighborhood.
Usually it’s people looking for a good plumber or letting people know there’s a chair up for grabs. I took advantage of the service the other day and grabbed some moving boxes someone posted on NextDoor. I need to clean out my garage, the boxes will come in handy.
Maybe two weeks ago messages began flooding into my inbox, all about a Bird crashing into a Brentwood mother pushing a stroller with an infant inside.
The baby was allegedly seriously harmed and rushed to the emergency room.
A torrent of anger was released on NextDoor. This got a lot more attention than any garage sale ever would.
Many were appalled and called for the banning of Birds.
Others said Birds were the best thing ever and that we should all get ready for wonderful future in which we all ride Birds.
Still others questioned the facts as reported and wanted proof such an accident actually took place.
Was there a real accident? Or was this “fake news,” planted by a Bird hater?
Maybe a tiny situation with a kernel of truth, blown out of proportion?
It was never clear to me from all the back-and-forth what really happened in this situation.
What WAS very clear is that there’s a lot of anger out there.
My wife was on a walk the other evening and met a fellow Brentwoodian rounding up Birds.
He explained to her that he was making extra money by charging them up overnight in his garage. The next morning, he puts them back out there. Interesting.
The other night my wife and I went out to dinner, at il Piccolo Verde, in Brentwood Village.
All was good, we had a great time – and then it was time to go home.
As we approached our car, there were two ladies standing on the sidewalk talking. One was propping up a Bird.
I guess it must have been obvious to her that my wife and I were looking at the Bird, and she asked, in a very kind and generous way, if we wanted to take her Bird for a spin.
How could we say no?
I went up and down Barrington Place a few times; it was great fun.
It felt a tiny bit wobbly at first, right as you are just starting to get up to speed. But once you gain a little momentum, it all feels pretty stable.
My wife tried it, too. So there! We are living proof that you CAN teach old dogs new tricks!
I don’t really know what to make of these new things called Birds.
I can definitely understand the appeal; I can see the safety issues, also.
Of course, there are serious car accidents each and every day and we haven’t banned cars.
Let’s open this up for discussion: What do YOU think? Send an email to jeff.hall@brentwoodnewsla.com and I’ll report onany findings next month.
