IU’s revised policy on scooter parking and usage is expected to be released in the next week.
The policy is currently being formally revised by several IU administrators, said Director of Parking Operations Amanda Turnipseed. Emphasis is being placed on the parking of scooters and the safety concerns involved in riding them on campus. This revision comes after the introduction of Bird scooters that came to Bloomington around a week ago.
“It is our expectation and anticipation that the regulations that will come along with this revised policy are going to stress that scooters need to parked near or at a bike rack,” Turnipseed said.
Scooters that end up in landscaped areas, in the middle of the sidewalk or in extreme places like the Jordan River will be be impounded by the University, Turnipseed said. IU will then work with the full-time Bird employee in Bloomington to give them back.
Details about the fine of an impounded scooter are still being ironed out, but Turnipseed said Bird is in full cooperation and agreement with the impounding procedures.
Turnipseed said IU-Bloomington isn’t the first IU campus to encounter problems with scooters. IU-Purdue University Indianapolis has had scooters on its campus since the scooters were dropped in Indianapolis in June and has formulated its own scooter policy.
“We’re trying to address it not solely from a Bloomington campus only perspective but from a University-wide perspective for all the campuses,” Turnipseed said.
The revised scooter policy will be online when completed. Current policies on scooters can be viewed on the IU policies website.
