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

[sjclaeys]

@TwoWheelsDC 180450 wrote:

37000+ people died in cars in 2016.

I’m not really seeing the purpose of the reply. Just saw the article cited in the Axios daily email and shared it without comment one way or another. arlrider makes a good point about normalizing by population size though.

[lordofthemark]

@sjclaeys 180461 wrote:

I’m not really seeing the purpose of the reply. Just saw the article cited in the Axios daily email and shared it without comment one way or another. arlrider makes a good point about normalizing by population size though.

Axios. Buzzfeed. We have *insert scottish accent* STANDARDS.

[PeteD]

LA Times vs Buzzfeed?

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bird-scooter-vandalism-20180809-story.html

[TwoWheelsDC]

@sjclaeys 180461 wrote:

I’m not really seeing the purpose of the reply. Just saw the article cited in the Axios daily email and shared it without comment one way or another. arlrider makes a good point about normalizing by population size though.

It wasn’t meant as a criticism of you. It’s the sensationalist reporting on some pretty minor injuries from scooters while no one bats an eye at the carnage caused by cars.

On the issue of normalizing the stats, I just don’t buy it. Maybe if you just count all injuries as the same, but people aren’t getting crushed and maimed by scooters, and scooters don’t crash through houses and storefronts on a daily basis. I’d wager that, even accounting for population and miles traveled, the level of economic loss caused by car crashes far outweighs that caused by injuries from all other modes combined…especially once you factor in externalities like pollution.

[huskerdont]

John Oliver did a bit on the tariffs for e-scooters and said that anything that kept their numbers down would be a good thing. I think they have a bit of an image problem overall. I don’t mind them in concept, but I feel about the same toward them zipping around on sidewalks full of pedestrians as I do when I see an irresponsible cyclist zipping around on a sidewalk full of pedestrians. If someone uses them instead of a car, that’s a good thing, but do they, or are they mostly being used for shorter trips such as the last mile from the Metro?

[lordofthemark]

@huskerdont 180467 wrote:

John Oliver did a bit on the tariffs for e-scooters and said that anything that kept their numbers down would be a good thing. I think they have a bit of an image problem overall. I don’t mind them in concept, but I feel about the same toward them zipping around on sidewalks full of pedestrians as I do when I see an irresponsible cyclist zipping around on a sidewalk full of pedestrians. If someone uses them instead of a car, that’s a good thing, but do they, or are they mostly being used for shorter trips such as the last mile from the Metro?

I especially welcome them on the “protected bike lane” by the Wharf. The scooter users may see it as a sidewalk, but the scooters there may deter pedestrians from using it (and the pedestrians should not be using it, but I don’t want to make that complaint as a cyclist) and the scooters are fast enough, they are less of a problem for people on bikes than the peds there.

And using them for the last mile from metro is a good thing. It may make metro useable for people who otherwise would drive.

[sjclaeys]

“Peter’s Take” weekly column in ArlNOW is on e-scooters: https://www.arlnow.com/2018/08/23/peters-take-more-thoughts-on-arlingtons-docketless-vehicle-pilot/ (posting does not necessarily constitute endorsement or agreement). For those not familiar with ArlNOW’s weekly columnists, Peter’s column seems to reflect the establishment Democratic point of view, since ArlNOW has a separate “Progressive” column.

[rcannon100]

Ftw

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[ursus]

Does anyone know if Bike-O-Meters count scooters?

[Drewdane]

eScooters look fun. Unfortunately, there never seem to be any parked near my work, which is where I’m most likely to rent one.

I used to ride a folding kick scooter before Capital Bikeshare put a kiosk right by my building, and I generally had no trouble keeping up in bike lanes once I worked up a head of steam. OTOH, while riding my kick scooter worked fine on sidewalks, I’ve had at least two close calls from clueless asshats weaving their way through pedestrians at top speed on eScooters.

[semperiden]

I don’t mind them as a concept. I have even considered buying one. I have a problem with the way some people ride them though. Twice this week I have had to break to a complete stop because they have come straight at me cutting through people. It is just a matter of time before I crash with one. Some of them use headphones and swerve around the bike path, so of course they can’t hear bike bells and won’t let you pass.

[AlexandriaBiker]

A little late to this party but I will throw my .02 in here. I fully support scooters and e-bikes and want to see them in the bike lanes. Anything we can do to increase demand for “alternative transportation lanes” makes them more viable for the community. And scooters and e-bikes offer transportation to people that dont have or dont want access to cars. Yes the riders dont follow the law all the time and that is unfortunate. The same is true for drivers of large gas powered vehicles and that is unfortunate too.

[Erin Potter]

@ursus 180480 wrote:

Does anyone know if Bike-O-Meters count scooters?

How intriguing. I will ask around.

[baiskeli]

@semperiden 180490 wrote:

I don’t mind them as a concept. I have even considered buying one. I have a problem with the way some people ride them though. Twice this week I have had to break to a complete stop because they have come straight at me cutting through people. It is just a matter of time before I crash with one. Some of them use headphones and swerve around the bike path, so of course they can’t hear bike bells and won’t let you pass.

Scooters are to cyclists as cyclists are to motorists.

[baiskeli]

@sjclaeys 180473 wrote:

“Peter’s Take” weekly column in ArlNOW is on e-scooters: https://www.arlnow.com/2018/08/23/peters-take-more-thoughts-on-arlingtons-docketless-vehicle-pilot/ (posting does not necessarily constitute endorsement or agreement). For those not familiar with ArlNOW’s weekly columnists, Peter’s column seems to reflect the establishment Democratic point of view, since ArlNOW has a separate “Progressive” column.

As I recall, Peter’s Take was supposed to be the liberal/progessive column to match the conservative one, but Peter came down so conservative on so many issues that they added the Progressive column. Just sayin. Thanks for the article.

[Author]

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