Etiquette Question: Kick Scooters in Bike Lanes?

[Tim Kelley]

Probably warrants at least a few dirty looks…

Report back after a couple uses!

[jrenaut]

I’d probably give you a dirty look unless you were doing 15 mph or so. If I have to pass you because you bike slower than I want to, fine, that’s expected. If I have to pass you because you’re unable to move as fast as I want to because you’re on a vehicle that’s not technically permitted in the lane, I get grumpy.

[dasgeh]

@Drewdane 62709 wrote:

While a bit slower than most bikes, it seems to me the bike lane is my best bet. I’m just wondering: am I going to be the subject of a “Missed Connection” post if I try it? 😮

I’ll go out on a limb and just say don’t do this. You’re forcing cyclists into traffic in a place where cyclists should be able to be in a bike lane.

Sorry there isn’t a place for scooters in the downtown infrastructure.

[Drewdane]

@dasgeh 62722 wrote:

I’ll go out on a limb and just say don’t do this. You’re forcing cyclists into traffic in a place where cyclists should be able to be in a bike lane.

No I’m not. I’m perfectly happy to yield to cyclists.

[jrenaut]

Also, I had to read your whole post before I realized that “kick” in the post title is an adjective, not a verb.

[mstone]

@jrenaut 62726 wrote:

Also, I had to read your whole post before I realized that “kick” in the post title is an adjective, not a verb.

I was thinking, “sounds kinda rude, but I guess maybe if the guy is being a jerk?”

[dasgeh]

@Drewdane 62725 wrote:

No I’m not. I’m perfectly happy to yield to cyclists.

How? A bike lane is only so wide. What do you expect cyclists to do?

[Drewdane]

@dasgeh 62731 wrote:

How? A bike lane is only so wide. What do you expect cyclists to do?

Yell at me to GET THE #$%! OUTTA THE WAY.

Seriously, I’m quite well-acquainted with DC streets and bike lanes from the perspective of a cyclist. They’re wide enough. It’s do-able.

[bobco85]

@Drewdane 62709 wrote:

I recently picked up an Xootr as an additional mode to my multi-modal commute after deciding that folders, while they have their pluses, are still too heavy and cumbersome for a crowded Metro car at rush hour. In the few days I’ve had it, I’ve noticed that it occupies a bit of a grey area between pedestrians and bikes – too fast and aggressive for a busy downtown sidewalk, but absolutely inappropriate in street traffic.

While a bit slower than most bikes, it seems to me the bike lane is my best bet. I’m just wondering: am I going to be the subject of a “Missed Connection” post if I try it? 😮

EDIT: By my guesstimate, I probably average 10-12 mph on smooth asphalt. About the same as a CaBi.

I wouldn’t raise a stink if I saw you in the lane (like joggers, skateboarders, the occasional person pushing their stroller, etc., I’m pretty lenient as long as they’re not salmoning), but I don’t think you’re allowed to ride on the street with it, at least not according to DC law. I tried to find specific text, but the best I could do is in 18 DCMR §§1211.3 through 1211.10 which you can see (you have to download each individual document which I found annoying) here: http://www.dcregs.dc.gov/Gateway/ChapterHome.aspx?ChapterID=201874

I don’t have relevant VA or MD law info (because I’m hungry and lazy right now), but hopefully that will help clear things up.

[Rod Smith]

Ride on the sidewalk at an appropriate speed? Your scooter is not “too fast and aggressive” for the sidewalk if used responsibly.

[Drewdane]

@Rod Smith 62742 wrote:

Ride on the sidewalk at an appropriate speed? Your scooter is not “too fast and aggressive” for the sidewalk if used responsibly.

Fair enough.

OTOH, that sort of detracts from the whole purpose of a scooter, which is to get to where you’re going more efficiently than on foot.

It’s an interesting question to me, because it seems like scooters are, in a way, a little like bikes: a good way to move around efficiently and cheaply, but at the same time, an “unknown quantity” that people just don’t quite know how to address.

[mstone]

@Drewdane 62750 wrote:

Fair enough.

OTOH, that sort of detracts from the whole purpose of a scooter, which is to get to where you’re going more efficiently than on foot.

It’s an interesting question to me, because it seems like scooters are, in a way, a little like bikes: a good way to move around efficiently and cheaply, but at the same time, an “unknown quantity” that people just don’t quite know how to address.

I think people do know how to address it, you just don’t like the answer. It belongs on the sidewalk; it’s not appropriate for use on the road. Yeah, it sucks to not be able to go your top speed all the time, but sometimes I even need to slow down while walking–that’s life.

[Terpfan]

I don’t really think it’s that big a deal to be quite honest. I encounter plenty of slow cyclists and you’re pretty much the samd width as a bike would be, it’s arguably easier for you to stop quickly if you have to, and you’re utilizing two wheels to move forward. I would also guess you’re occupying less space than a recumbent and 10x less space than those pedicabs. So, I guess it may tick off others, but it would be fine by me. I would suggest in areas where you’re going up a steep incline that you utilize the sidewalk. But I sometimes even do that on my bike (see Beacon Hill) for pure safety reasons.

[CPTJohnC]

From the perspective of a lawmaker/law enforcement, I think a scooter is pretty much the same as a skateboard. Skateboards are not permitted in the street/ bike lane (I’ve watched DC Cops do a ‘traffic stop’ for this… surprisingly).

Would it bother me, personally? Probably not. Certainly less problematic than in-line skaters on the MUPs (they tend to take up a disproportionate share of the trail, and they are both too fast and too slow, all at the same time). But it might cause DC’s finest to stop you, and being stopped is definitely inefficient.

I think it would be useable on all but the most crowded sidewalks — people seem to manage to run on the sidewalks, and the speed is comparable.

[Drewdane]

It turns out the route I had in mind was untenable for other reasons, so it’s a moot point. The one time I did try it, it was fine – people didn’t seem to have any problems passing me as needed, I didn’t get any dirty looks, and it got me to where I was going much more smoothly than navigating sidewalks clogged with freshly-released office workers.

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