Plus, UofL is adding a new building to campus.
 
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69º | 50% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 7:17 a.m. | Sunset 6:33 p.m.
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🛴 Let’s go, LOU

Your guide to scooter season in Louisville
A Lime scooter on the sidewalk in Louisville
Dockless electric scooters can be found all over Louisville’s metro area. | Photo by LOUtoday
A map showing the nine zones of operation for dockless vehicles in Louisville

These nine zones restrict the deployment of dockless vehicles.

|

Map by Louisville Metro

Beep beep. The robins are singing, we’ve (hopefully) seen our last snowflake, and the electric scooters have emerged from their winter hibernation. We’re reviewing some safety tips + regulations for scooting around LOU this season.

Like many cities across the country, Louisville saw the arrival of dockless electric scooters in 2018. The rapid rollout saw metro governments nationwide scrambling to pass rules and regulations for the new technology.

Here are a few of Derby City’s rules and recommendations:
  • Stick to the road and stay in the bike lane where available. Scooters aren’t permitted on sidewalks.
  • Yield to pedestrians and give the right of way to bicycles in the bike lane.
  • Wear a helmet.
Electric scooter companies operating in Louisville, like Bird and Lime, have a few rules too. They’re restricted to nine contiguous zones, roughly inside the boundaries of I-264 but with extensions to the south and the west.
A map showing the nine zones of operation for dockless vehicles in Louisville

These nine zones restrict the deployment of dockless vehicles.

|

Map by Louisville Metro

There are also three restricted zones where scooters are prohibited: The University of Louisville, Waterfront Park, and The Kentucky School for the Blind on Frankfort Avenue.

Any company with 150 vehicles or less is free to operate anywhere inside the designated zones. Companies with larger fleets are required to deploy a percentage of their scooters in zones 1, 8, and 9 to ensure no neighborhoods are over or under-served.

These companies also report their usage data to the Metro Public Works Department. Here’s a snap shot of LOU’s scooter scene in 2023:

A map of scooter traffic in Louisville showing a concentration between downtown and the UofL.

Scooter traffic is concentrated in the corridor between downtown and the UofL, with an extra spur east down Bardstown road.

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Map by Louisville Metro.

  • 425,966: The number of miles Louisvillians traveled by dockless scooter.
  • Saturday, April 22: The busiest scooter day, with around 3,600 trips. (That was Thunder Over Louisville).
  • 1,000: The average number of scooters found on Louisville’s streets on any given day.
Most find-and-ride scooters cost $1 to start and about $0.50 per minute afterwards. The scooters travel at about 5 miles per hour, so the average cost for a mile long trip is around 6 bucks.
Asked

How often do you use dockless scooters?
A. Everyday
B. Once per week
C. Once per month
D. A couple of times per year
Beep beep
 
Events
Tuesday, Feb. 27
  • WAGS: Read with a Dog | Tuesday, Feb. 27 | 4-5:30 p.m. | Northeast Regional Library, 15 Bellevoir Circle, Louisville | Free | Read books + hang out with a licensed therapy dog.
Wednesday, Feb. 28
  • Mid-week Nature Walk | Wednesday, Feb. 28 | 2-3:30 p.m. | Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, 2075 Clermont Rd., Clermont | $12-$15 | Register today to take an afternoon stroll tomorrow, accompanied by knowledgeable naturalists.
Thursday, Feb. 29
  • Comedy Night | Thursday, Feb. 29 | 7-8:30 p.m. | 3rd Turn Brewing, 10408 Watterson Trail, Louisville | $25 | Get a giggle with local comedians — tickets include one drink.
Friday, March 1
  • “Romeo and Juliet” | Friday, March 1 | 7:30 p.m. | Louisville Ballet, 315 E. Main St., Louisville | $35-$150 | It’s the classic Shakespeare story of star-crossed lovers, but delivered through choreographed dancing rather than soliloquy.
Saturday, March 2
  • The Soulful Sounds of Derbytown | Saturday, March 2 | 7 p.m. | Kentucky Center for the Arts, 501 W. Main St., Louisville | $57.33 | Hear live performances from local musicians, dancers, and thespians celebrating the release of a new book.
Sunday, March 3
  • Bottled-In-Bond Celebration at Heaven Hill | Sunday, March 3 | 1-6 p.m. | Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, 1311 Gilkey Run Rd., Bardstown | Free | As the No. 1 producer of Bottled-in-Bond brands, Heaven Hill is celebrating on March 3 (the Bottled-in-Bond Act was signed into law on March 3, 1897) with featured cocktails, food trucks + live music.*
Events calendar here
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News Notes
Edu
  • The University of Louisville’s Speed School of Engineering is planning to build a new $90 million, 114,000-sqft building behind its current complex on Eastern Parkway. The new four-story space will include classrooms, lab space, and room for events. The project is still in the fund-raising stage.
Arts
  • “Feel My Words,” the first exhibition from local artist + teacher Shakia Harris, is now on display. It features 43 oil paintings that tell the healing stories of 20 women. It’s open to the public at the Epping District Building at 816 E. Broadway. (WHAS11)
Opening
  • The new location of Paul’s Fruit Market, at 4990 U.S. 42 in Northfield, will open tomorrow at 8 a.m. The market closed its Brownsboro Road location over the weekend. It’ll be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Development
  • Earlier this month, Humana made news by announcing that it plans to vacate its 26-story tower on Main Street, moving workers to other downtown Louisville locations. Now, the insurance company has announced plans to renovate the Waterside Building at 101 E. Main St. (Louisville Business First)
Sports
  • Does Louisville have a shot at the College Football Playoff in 2024? Get game coverage, analysis, insights, interviews and more from local experts of the Cardinals with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
Biz
  • Last call, Louisville: Early discounted ticket pricing for Leadership Louisville’s LeadingBetter Summit ends on Friday, March 1. After Friday, prices will increase for both virtual and in-person attendees. Cash in on the deal.*
Read
 
Community

🐻‍❄️ Happy International Polar Bear Day, Qannik

How Louisville’s polar bear is helping save her species
Qannik the polar bear in the snow at the Louisville Zoo
Qannik will celebrate her 14th birthday in January. | Photo by the Louisville Zoo
The Louisville Zoo’s star polar bear Qannik could soon play an important role in the conservation of her species.

Qannik came to the Louisville Zoo in 2011 after being found separated from her mother in the far north of Alaska. Qannik’s wild-born origins make her an important player in the fight to save polar bears, which are classified as a vulnerable species .

There are only about 300 polar bears in captivity worldwide, and according to the zoo, “Qannik’s genes are not represented anywhere within the zoo population.”

The Louisville Zoo welcomed a new polar bear earlier this month, a male named Borealis, as part of a national cooperative breeding program. Unlike Qannik, “Bo” was born at the Toledo Zoo to parents also born in captivity.

It remains to be seen whether Qannik and Bo will parent any polar bear cubs, but if they do they’re certain to be just as cute as Qannik was when she came to Louisville from Alaska more than a decade ago.
The Buy

The Buy 2.27.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)
Something from Six & Main’s Brands That Give Back collection, so you can shop your favorite coffee, jewelry, cards, and tees all while knowing you’re supporting brands that make a difference. Causes include: animal rescue groups, local water based incentives, and national parks.
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6AM City In-house
 
The Wrap
 
Jeff-Milby-headshot-LOU

Today’s edition by:
Jeff
From the editor
I’m excited about our new City Editor, Declan, whom you will meet later this week. Declan wrote both of the stories in today’s newsletter, and here’s a fun fact: They were born in Alaska just like Qannik, the polar bear.
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