Birds around and on campus, including the safety warning on the scooters. //Allison Upchurch and Marley Gabel
By: Julia Venuto, Staff Reporter
Winter is coming, the birds are flocking to campus. Unlike the avian birds we are used to migrating to the south, we have another type of bird thats flocking to campus and they are everywhere. Bird, the electric scooter, has taken over neighborhoods and campus corners. At just a dollar to unlock and 15 cents a minute, these electric scooters are a speedy fun form of transportation. Getting up to top speeds of 15mph, they may not be the safest transportation but they are the cheapest. The company requires helmets to use but very rarely you’ll see anyone with a helmet riding those. With a curfew of of 9pm, the birds cannot be unlocked after that point in the night, but they do have lights that turn on once it turns dark. Students have taken birds to the extreme by doing tricks and those opposed to them have lashed out by knocking them over or vandalizing them instead of the intended use. You’ll find these birds on almost every corner of campus and surrounding streets as they have grown in popularity in the neighborhood. With winter coming will they stay or flock south?
Ben Stampley,an avid bird rider says, “Bird is sick, I love doing tricks and getting mad ups. Feeling the breeze flow through my hair as I’m plummeting downhill is the most exciting and free feeling.” Some patrons really enjoy birding and some don’t. I am an ex-birder but after a concussion, I have retired from birds. Since then I have deleted the app and avidly avoid them at all costs.
In many cities Birds are banned but Denver is not one of them. A cousin to the bird scooter are lime scooters, which are more located in downtown Denver. The trend is rising and we are in the midst of it, so grab a helmet and hop on board or risk getting left behind!