In bike lanes, on the sidewalk or on the grass, Thornton residents may have spotted a new method of transportation flying around the city. 

Bird scooters came to Thornton on July 1 as part of a one-year trial run to see if the city wants to keep them around permanently. 

Bird, the vendor, slowly began adding the two-wheeled ride to city limits, according to Kent Moorman, regional transportation engineer for the city. Within 45 days, they must have 100 scooters and can only have a maximum of 300. 

The trial started with the city council giving a thumbs up to the proposal last fall. Whether they will stay will be determined after the trial. 

The scooters can only ride around within Thornton city limits, with a little leeway once it crosses the borders. So far, it’s been going well.

“I haven’t had any concerns or complaints that have come across my desk yet, or my emails. So that’s a good sign.,” Moorman said. 

Looking at the data, he said that most of the rides have taken place on Colorado Boulevard and Washington street. 

One of the benefits the scooters will provide is data on where residents are going. Moorman said it can help inform the city on current and future projects. 

“It may help us in (determining) priority of what we will need to do in the future,” he said. “We’re getting ready to update our transportation and mobility master plan.” 

He noted that using scooters in Thornton is different because it’s a suburb: they don’t have a concentrated downtown like Denver. 

However, he hopes the scooter trips will cut down on traffic, especially the short trips drivers are taking. He said it’s an environmentally friendly option. 

“Hopefully these scooters will provide another option and choice,” he said.

According to Northglenn Spokesperson Diana Wilson and Westminster Spokesperson Andy Le, there has not been any discussion about allowing the scooters in Thornton’s neighboring cities. 

The city of Brighton began allowing Bird scooters on its city streets earlier in July. The company can keep 200 of the scooters in the city.