Milwaukee deputies stop two men riding Lime scooters on Hoan Bridge
By James Stratton
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MILWAUKEE (WISN) — Two men riding Lime scooters on the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee were stopped by Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputies after mistakenly entering the interstate, thinking they were in a bike lane, body camera and Wisconsin Department of Transportation video shows.
The incident unfolded just after 7:30 p.m. Sunday, as the men traveled northbound toward downtown, riding in the emergency lane for at least 3 miles before deputies caught up with them near the Summerfest entrance.
Deputies quickly detained both men. Body camera video shows one of them telling deputies he is an international medical student from Jordan doing rotations at Froedtert Hospital and explained he had been in the area for four weeks. The other man said he had been in Milwaukee for two months and the pair lived together.
The situation transitioned from detainment to confusion as the men explained they believed they were riding in a bike lane. Deputies informed them that the area was part of the interstate system, where vehicles travel at high speeds, making it especially dangerous for scooters.
The pair told deputies they got on Interstate 794 somewhere near the lake, 10 minutes away, thinking they were in a bike lane.
Body camera video shows one man telling them, “When we realized we were on the highway, we didn’t know what to do.”
Sheriff’s deputies taught them where they can and cannot ride, explaining what a bike lane looks like.
“You need to see a picture with the bicycle in it,” one deputy explained.
Deputies let the pair go on their way and did not write any citations, according to body camera video. WISN 12 News is not identifying the pair because no citations were issued.
“If we can turn it into an educational lesson, so it doesn’t repeat itself, I’m totally comfortable with that,” one deputy told them.
WISN 12 News emailed Lime, the company that owns the scooters the pair were riding, to ask if the company can stop scooters from entering the interstate using geolocation.
“Lime works with the city to geofence certain areas throughout Milwaukee, designating them as either no riding zones or areas with specific parking requirements,” a Lime spokesperson said via email Monday night. “We’ll take a look at this area along with the city’s Department of Public Works to see if there’s anything we can do to educate riders or adjust the geofencing in the future.”
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