The First Autumn of Scooters

[Overtone]

This is the first Autumn when there have been a lot of e-scooters running around. I’ve noticed two new conditions to watch out for in the gathering darkness of early evening.

Oncoming headlamp: e-bike or e-scooter?

A steady round headlamp is coming at you from up the trail. You’re behind someone right now and want to pass. Do you have time? It used to be easier to decide, because a steady round headlamp was an e-bike. Now, that steady round headlamp might be an e-bike – faster than a regular bike – or an e-scooter – slower than a regular bike. You guess it’s a scooter and try to pass, but it’s an e-bike. Ouch!

Right hook a scooter in the cross walk

You’re in the road and turning right onto a perpendicular street across a cross walk. Several people have entered the cross walk moving in the same direction as you. At normal pedestrian speed, there’s plenty of space and time to turn right in front of the crowd safely without impeding them. Unfortunately there’s a scooter in the crowd that you didn’t see. It accelerates quickly and moves faster than a normal pedestrian. Ouch!

The environment has changed and we bicyclists need to adjust. Be safe out there.

John

Topic

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Overtone 180912 wrote:

A steady round headlamp is coming at you from up the trail. It used to be easier to decide, because a steady round headlamp was an e-bike. Now, that steady round headlamp might be an e-bike – faster than a regular bike – or an e-scooter

What?

[lordofthemark]

@Overtone 180912 wrote:

This is the first Autumn when there have been a lot of e-scooters running around. I’ve noticed two new conditions to watch out for in the gathering darkness of early evening.

Oncoming headlamp: e-bike or e-scooter?

A steady round headlamp is coming at you from up the trail. You’re behind someone right now and want to pass. Do you have time? It used to be easier to decide, because a steady round headlamp was an e-bike. Now, that steady round headlamp might be an e-bike – faster than a regular bike – or an e-scooter – slower than a regular bike. You guess it’s a scooter and try to pass, but it’s an e-bike. Ouch!

Right hook a scooter in the cross walk

You’re in the road and turning right onto a perpendicular street across a cross walk. Several people have entered the cross walk moving in the same direction as you. At normal pedestrian speed, there’s plenty of space and time to turn right in front of the crowd safely without impeding them. Unfortunately there’s a scooter in the crowd that you didn’t see. It accelerates quickly and moves faster than a normal pedestrian. Ouch!

The environment has changed and we bicyclists need to adjust. Be safe out there.

John

A. I thought ebikes had their white lamps in front and red behind, like everone else – am I missing something.

B. A right in front of a crowd of peds is a tricky move, and requires plenty of vigilance scooters or no scooters. Though of course its better that scooter riders not use the sidewalk and if they must, that they exercise due care at intersections.

TLDR; Wut?

[Author]

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