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Bird scooters show up in Arlington — without county’s blessing

By Jeff Clabaugh

WASHINGTON — Bird, one of several dockless bike and scooter companies taking part in D.C.’s ongoing dockless pilot program, has deployed a fleet of scooters across the river in Arlington County, Virginia, but through no official arrangement with the county.

Bird said its scooters are available throughout Courthouse, Clarendon, Ballston, Columbia Pike and Crystal City. It will expand its Arlington fleet as ridership grows, the company added.

Though Arlington County may at some point consider an experiment with dockless bikes and/or scooters as a commuting option, it is nowhere near a decision, and Bird may find itself being run out of the county.

County transportation spokesman Eric Balliet told WTOP, “Commuter Services Bureau Chief Jim Larsen is coordinating the evaluation of dockless vehicles and expects to present a draft policy to our transportation director and the county manager in September for their consideration.”

“We will be having discussions with the county manager and the county attorney’s office on how to respond to Bird’s deployment in Arlington,” he said.

When asked by WTOP if Bird had an arrangement with Arlington County for its scooters, a spokesman for the company did not immediately provide an answer.

Bird, and fellow dockless operators Lime and Spin, were temporarily put out of business in San Francisco for setting up operations without permits. The San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier this month the city mandated all three companies cease operations while they apply for permits.

The Chronicle said the city also impounded improperly parked scooters. Several companies have applied for permits now, with San Francisco expected to issue permits to a handful of them by the end of June.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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