MILWAUKEE — On Monday, Lime announced they had made changes to address parking concerns around Milwaukee.
The electric scooter rental company says they've averaged over 4,000 rides a day since the middle of May, an increase of 86% since last year.
Now, as the Summer comes to a close, they will be making some changes to parking.
Mandatory parking concerns have been implemented in high-traffic areas like the Third Ward, Brady Street, and North Avenue, which limits where folks can park the scooters.
The team has also hired a full-time "presentation specialist" to address poorly parked scooters.
They will also look to strengthen a pre-existing method of parking control. When ending a Lime scooter ride, a rider must take a picture of their parked scooter. Lime has assigned a team member to review those pictures, send warnings for what they consider poor parking jobs, and if those are repeated, issue fines.
Watch: Lime introducing new parking restrictions in Milwaukee, including possible fines
"It’s just super inconvenient if you’re in a rush, now you have to figure out a place to park your scooter, and then fining you on top of that it’s pretty ridiculous," says Celia Gonzales, who goes to school in the Third Ward.
She feels like fines are an unnecessary step and could lead to frustration from riders.
"I think it’s going to make it harder, I’ve never had a problem with where scooters are left," Celia said. "Most people are pretty considerate about it."
Other folks feel differently about the changes.
"I woke up one day and there was one of them dumped on my lawn," said Matt Flynn, who lives near the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
He says the scooters offer a good experience to riders, but that can't come at the cost of safety. He says these measures should help.
“When it’s parked in the middle of the sidewalk like over there or god forbid in the middle of the street it can be a hazard," Flynn said. "Especially when it’s dark people can bump into them, trip over them. I think it’s a good idea to consolidate this and get them parked correctly.”
A Lime representative tells TMJ4 that fines will be given out on a case-by-case scenario, and if fines rack up, a user could face a ban.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
