Let’s talk about e scooters

[lordofthemark]

I mean yeah, I know we are the BIKE forum, but really, I can’t think of a better informed group of people to talk about this with.

Lets NOT talk about where they should be parked (which is the same argument, almost, as the dockless bikes) or whether they should be used on certain crowded trails (a similar argument to the ebike argument, I guess). I want to talk about riding them on streets, in bike lanes, on sidewalks (yup, though I haven’t, yet) in more or less urban areas. (there was already some discussion in the dockless bikes thread, but I think it will get lost there)

Personally while I found riding one interesting, I think I would always prefer a bike, dockless or CaBi, human powered or electric, over a scooter. I found starting it awkward, footing awkward, and hard to get used to having only the one brake, and how the hell do I signal? OTOH I think that is both because I am an “avid” cyclist (so don’t find mounting or dismounting a bike to be a big deal at all) and because as someone born back in the good old days, I missed the scooter craze (and snow board craze, and never did skate boards) So riding with my feet flat down like that is not natural, and the kick to get started is not natural.

Where to ride – I tried it around the Capital Riverfront area – so quiet, griddy streets, and relatively empty bike lanes. Felt odd riding (and esp making left turns) “vehicularly” but that is what you are supposed to do, I guess?

They are not supposed to be used on sidewalks, per Limebike, though I gather its legal to use scooters on sidewalks (does the CBD sidewalk ban apply to scooters as well as bikes). I did not violate that rule, but there are places I would be tempted to.

It said you should wear a helmet. I did not, and gather most users do not?

You could “pause” your ride, which is a fascinating feature. Though I chose not to use it.

I trust we all welcome them into bike lanes? I mean I don’t know about the actual crowded bike lanes (like 15th Street) but I sure think more use of our infra is good (surprise!) and they seem compatible. And, ONE LESS CAR.

Seems like one benefit is you can ride them without fear of getting your clothes caught or dirty with a chain – but all the bike share bikes have chain guards, maybe?

Topic

[lordofthemark]

I was speaking to a woman at my synagogue who is an occasional bike rider. She used to bike commute downtown before her job location changed, but recently rode in on a weekday to meetings. She reported that it felt much more comfortable for her than it had been a few years ago, because it seemed the presence of all the scooters made drivers more cautious “tilted the balance”.

I don’t ride downtown on weekdays much myself, and don’t know of any data, but this seems significant to me.

[mstone]

@Starduster 193723 wrote:

A crosswalk at 13th & L St NW, DC. No, no e-scooters nearby to challenge/ignore this.[ATTACH=CONFIG]20443[/ATTACH]

is that a diy sign?

[Starduster]

If it is DIY, it is very well done. It was on two corners of this intersection. I had not noticed this anywhere else downtown, but then I wasn’t looking. DC peeps, what say you?

[VikingMariner]

[VikingMariner]

[n18]

The Town of Vienna is holding a public hearing this upcoming Tuesday at 8 PM to discuss plans for a one-year pilot program allowing up to 150 E-Scooters/Bikes/E-Bikes per company(all links are to PDF files):

https://www.viennava.gov/index.aspx?NID=453

[Steve O]

[h=1]Sorry, But E-Scooters Are Still Not Scary[/h][h=2]We keep hearing about the supposed dangers of shared e-scooters, but the numbers tell a different story[/h]
https://www.outsideonline.com/2405475/e-scooters-not-bad

[PeteD]

And now, for more scooters.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2019/12/03/jump-lyft-skip-spin-win-bids-deploy-up-scooters-dc/

[Dewey]

Sucks to be Lime or Bird

[dbb]

If the non-selected vendors remain in the metro area, I’d expect a pile of the scooters at the point on the MVT (and other trails) where the geo-fence is. Presuming the units just stop working so the riders will get off and abandon the scooter. How do you suppose they will handle Columbia Island, where a scooter could be expected to transit through DC without ever crossing the river.

[cvcalhoun]

@dbb 194783 wrote:

If the non-selected vendors remain in the metro area, I’d expect a pile of the scooters at the point on the MVT (and other trails) where the geo-fence is. Presuming the units just stop working so the riders will get off and abandon the scooter. How do you suppose they will handle Columbia Island, where a scooter could be expected to transit through DC without ever crossing the river.

First place, the rules have always governed where a bike or scooter can be left at the end of a ride, not where it can transit. It’s fine to ride a Jump bike in Montgomery County, for example, so long as you return it to DC at the end of the trip.

And Lime has always resolved all issues by not actually enforcing its rules. You return a Jump bike anywhere out of the city, they hit you with a $25 fee. Lime’s enforcement mechanism was just to put something in the rules saying you couldn’t do it. At one point, I called Lime, because I’d taken a Lime e-bike into Bethesda, and it had run out of juice before I could get it back to DC. The people I talked to were mystified about why I’d even bother calling.

[Dewey]

ArlNow report a scooter rider crashed into a School Bus at the intersection of Wilson Blvd & N Oak St in Rosslyn. A commenter on the ArlNow article claiming to be a witness wrote the scooter rider was salmoning in the bike lane coming downhill and ran a red light he couldn’t see before he hit the bus. No life threatening injuries reported.

[ursus]

@Dewey 196076 wrote:

ArlNow report a scooter rider crashed into a School Bus at the intersection of Wilson Blvd & N Oak St in Rosslyn. A commenter on the ArlNow article claiming to be a witness wrote the scooter rider was salmoning in the bike lane coming downhill and ran a red light he couldn’t see before he hit the bus. No life threatening injuries reported.

It’s interesting that I just got a tweet about this, and this happened yesterday according to the article. The fact that there are numerous comments to the article which were posted yesterday confirms this.

[Dewey]

I’m not sure that particular stretch of bike lane on Wilson gets much use while the lane closures for the building site at 1555 Wilson Blvd/Highlands Park are ongoing, but I regularly have to dodge salmoning scooters, joggers, and pedestrians, in the PBL sections on Wilson going up hill towards Courthouse.

[Joverdorf]

Hi everybody,
I’m writing an article highlighting the findings of a new study comparing crash experiences of e-scooter riders and bicyclists from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Would anybody be interested in doing a 10 minute phone interview about your experiences with e-scooters? I’d love to talk with somebody who’s been involved in a crash, some regular users of e-scooters, and some bicyclists interested in talking about sharing the road/bike lane with scooter riders.
Jason Overdorf
writer-editor
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

[Author]

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