Officials unanimously vote to cancel e-scooter contract following teen’s death

The Elizabeth City Council has voted to end its contract with electronic scooter company Lime, following the death of a 16-year-old boy.
Lime had only been operating in the city for a few weeks when a dump truck struck Nelson Gomez who was riding a scooter at the time. There have been calls to ban the vehicles ever since.
“Do the right thing. Remove the Scooters from our already congested streets. And listen to your constituents,” Elizabeth resident Juliana.
Residents said that there weren’t any bicycle lanes for the scooters and they also said that the scooters were too easily accessible for children. Lime scooters are supposed to only be for riders who are 18 years old or older.
The council unanimously voted to end the Lime contract.
“I have to say, out all of the votes I’ve taken on the council I think this is one of the ones I regret the most, and I won’t be making that mistake again. Tonight, I will support terminating this memorandum of understanding,” says Councilman Nelson Gonzales.
A spokesperson for Lime says in a statement, "We’re disappointed that the Elizabeth City Council has decided to suspend the e-scooter pilot program, but we hope to work with the city on a revised program. We remain devastated by the loss of Nelson Gomez and our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time.”
A family spokesperson says Gomez’s parents have not heard once from Lime following the death of their son.
Lime scooters were previously used in Hoboken. A pilot program with the city just ended.