E-scooters to be allowed on public roads

[Drago]

I love posting drivel, nonsense and downright bullpois, but I do have this nasty habit of sometimes posting something so correct, so adroitly observed, that it makes grown men weep.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I think they would be great... if people could be trusted to behave with them.

That applies to everything

which is why we have laws and rules and stuff

Like ebikes that are limited to 15.5 mph and all that
but, due to the way they have been ignored and allowed to grow in popularity, there are now loads of provate ones around that are unlimited by any rules - including safety
If they had regulations as soon as they started to become popular and cracked down on places that sold them, including on-line, then I reckon there would be less problems

As I have been unable to drive for the last few days and my bike is stuck in the shed it would be really handy to have a small e-scooter around to get to the shops and stuff

The sooner I can get my bike out past the builder the better - but an escooter would be damn handy

 

[Drago]

It applies to all those things, but the consequences for users, pedestrians, etc, are proving to be disproportionately serious for escooters when people misbehave.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

It applies to all those things, but the consequences for users, pedestrians, etc, are proving to be disproportionately serious for escooters when people misbehave.

Yes - but if they were limited to - say - 10 mph then the chances of "consequences" would be limited as well

I base that on 15 (ish) for ebikes - and they have better brakes and grip etc

but it would require proper enforcement of the selling environment and also on the road
and the government seemed to have to intention of even thinking of that

and not it would require a massive effort which would be difficult - practically and politically - and probably expensive

 

[Drago]

It's not just the vehicles in motion thet cause a hazard.

One old boy locally came across one dumped across the path. He bent down to try and move it, probably not realising how weighty they are, and then fell badly and died.

 

[dicko]

I’ll just leave this here, words fail me

 

[Drago]

I’ll just leave this here, words fail me

View attachment 761873

It astonishes me sometimes that we permit people with such low IQ's to breed. Poor old Waynetta will be crushed if they run into anything.

 

[a.twiddler]

Full marks for making the most of their powered conveyance. It reminds me a bit of the Highway Code's pyramid of (ir)responsibility. They've got a way to go though to catch up with this people powered school bus.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

It astonishes me sometimes that we permit people with such low IQ's to breed.

In my experience they breed more
I know of a family that used to have a kids in Nursery class
one in Reception
One in Year 1
One in Year 2
One in Year 3
TWO in Year 4 - not twins
One in Year 5
One in Year 6

I knew of one that had left for Secondary school the previous year
and I was told - by the other teachers - that this continued through Secondary school

TBF they all had the same Dad
and they were always in school on time in proper school uniform and properly fed - hair brushed and all that

which was a plus compared to some other families

 

[mjr]

It astonishes me sometimes that we permit people with such low IQ's to breed. Poor old Waynetta will be crushed if they run into anything.

Meh, that little scooter is barely going to be struggling along at walking speed with all them on it. The most likely way to crush anyone will be if someone else runs into them!

 

[Andy in Germany]

These scooters (Legal here, but they have to be registered) are popular amongst first generation immigrants. I've had customers who insisted on buying new bikes online for the same reason, instead of a better quality used bike. This makes sense; they're here for a better life; if they can't afford a car, they'll try and get something else that feels new and luxurious.

A colleague was responsible for a group of refugees under 18, and she had to confiscate an illegally overpowered scooter off one of them before the police caught up with him, bless him.

 

[mjr]

Not true though, is it?
Early steam vehicles were limited to walking pace on the public highway. Speed governed by the man carrying the red flag. The weight and size was a bigger problem than their "cornering too fast". Spade lug wheels did more damage than their road wheels. But changing wheels took time and not everyone bothered either buying road wheels or swapping them for short trips on roads.
And just like horse drawn wagons, they used wide wheels(Often over 12" in width) to spread the weight.

That was just a phase that I omitted, and nothing you wrote disproves what I posted. The so-called red flag act was reversed after about 30 years, but then speed limits were reintroduced in part due to concerns about fast cornering leaving ruts injuring other road users (human and animal), according to Hansard. Except for 4 years, some sort of speed limits have been in force ever since, mostly creeping up until the 1970s.

 

[classic33]

That was just a phase that I omitted, and nothing you wrote disproves what I posted. The so-called red flag act was reversed after about 30 years, but then speed limits were reintroduced in part due to concerns about fast cornering leaving ruts injuring other road users (human and animal), according to Hansard. Except for 4 years, some sort of speed limits have been in force ever since, mostly creeping up until the 1970s.

Important piece you missed though.

Steam traction engines, military usage aside, have been on the roads for nearly 200 years. The lug wheels did more damage than their speed, approximately 5 mph if given the right conditions, to the roads.
The red flag man limited their speed, further, to walking speed.