captain nemo1701
Space cadet. Deck 42 Main Engineering.
- Location
- Bristol
I wouldn't normally enjoy schadenfreude....but
. Its a big farkin' gate..... Candidate for a Darwin Award someday?....
Electric scooters.
- Thread starter postman
- Start date
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I wouldn't normally enjoy schadenfreude....but
. Its a big farkin' gate..... Candidate for a Darwin Award someday?....ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
A couple of things have shown or mentioned escooters going at high speed
As far as I am aware the legal ones - i.e. hired - are speed limited so the ones going at 20 mph are probably private
Which is the problem - they should have been regulated a LONG time ago so the privately bought ones could be regulated better - like ebike (yes - I know!)
Which means that at least some - maybe quite a lot - of the ones on the road (or pavement) now would at least be prevented from going as fast as some seem to.
Having said which there is no hire scheme round here so all the ones I see are private but mosta re reasobaly behaved
by reasonably I mean as good - or ofteh better - than a normal cyclist of that age
age group is mostly young men -
They do seem to be becoming popular for people travelling to work on the local industrial estate - which is good
As far as I am aware the legal ones - i.e. hired - are speed limited so the ones going at 20 mph are probably private
Which is the problem - they should have been regulated a LONG time ago so the privately bought ones could be regulated better - like ebike (yes - I know!)
Which means that at least some - maybe quite a lot - of the ones on the road (or pavement) now would at least be prevented from going as fast as some seem to.
Having said which there is no hire scheme round here so all the ones I see are private but mosta re reasobaly behaved
by reasonably I mean as good - or ofteh better - than a normal cyclist of that age
age group is mostly young men -
They do seem to be becoming popular for people travelling to work on the local industrial estate - which is good
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
I'm not arguing for them, and I'm not disagreeing with you. But I've never seen all the things that annoy you. I guess that's probably because there's no hire scheme near me. I just see a few people tootling around, so I don't have any great feelings about them. I'll come to a conclusion soon enough I guess.
A guy on one did overtake me (I was on my bike) on the road just before heading off down Sydenham Hill at a rate of knots. That was amusing.
Dumping dockless bikes all over the place irks me, and if there was a scooter hire scheme where I live I guess it'd irk me too.
captain nemo1701
Space cadet. Deck 42 Main Engineering.
- Location
- Bristol
I visted Exeter last August Bank holiday weekend to help out a mate who'd broken his ankle. I loved it - why?. No blasted escooters....anywhere. The only 'alternative' transport I saw was a guy on a skateboard. I didn't have to keep looking behind me for escooters on the pavement.
Trust me, you don't want a hire scheme near you. It may be Govt sanctioned etc, but the behaviour is just the same. They are ridden poorly, all over pavements often swooping around from behind you - silently. Plenty of people two per scooter, ridden the wrong way in cycle lanes, against traffic etc. Voi in Bristol claim to be experimenting with cameras to prevent pavement riding. I can see that failing, the tech isn't good enough yet. The scooters are apparently 'geo-fenced' and the motor will cut out once the onboard GPS recognises you're out of the test zone. Apparently happened to a chap....in 3 lane traffic
.All this technology, all the trials, all the testing, all the R&D...simply because some people are too lazy to walk. I've never felt the need to do 15-20mph on a pavement. The cycling community has spent years combatting cycling on pavements only to have a form of transport aimed at the lazy in society (that's my definition of 'convenience') become another risk. And with unrestricted ones, cycle paths are in danger of being roads for high speed e-traffic.
numbnuts
Legendary Member
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
"some people are too lazy to walk"
What about the “fun factor” of riding something different
I would have one tomorrow even if it did just 15.5mph and it would be purely for fun
What about the “fun factor” of riding something different
I would have one tomorrow even if it did just 15.5mph and it would be purely for fun
captain nemo1701
Space cadet. Deck 42 Main Engineering.
- Location
- Bristol
"some people are too lazy to walk"
What about the “fun factor” of riding something different
I would have one tomorrow even if it did just 15.5mph and it would be purely for fun
As with anything new, the 'fun' factor usually wears off quickly. Remember Dom Jolly and that huge mobile phone he carried around?. That was in response to mobiles being new at the time so folk were still treating them as a 'novelty'. I was on a bus back in the day with someone on the seat opposite giving a running commentary on his bus ride to the friend he was meeting. He was going on about 'the bus is in your street'...then' I can see you!!'...all of this acted out 'live' on a mobile phone. I think he did that as the concept of having mobile communications in your pocket was fairly new and so 'fun'. Same thing with escooters, but they've been around for a while now so the novelty factor should be wearing thin. Besides, what is 'fun' about doing 20mph on a pavement riding around pedestrians?. I usually suggest for thrill seekers that a far safer hobby - for everyone else that is - take up skydiving. It'll give someone a big thrill but if anything goes wrong, it'll only be them meeting the planet at speed
.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
numbnuts
Legendary Member
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
As with anything new, the 'fun' factor usually wears off quickly. Remember Dom Jolly and that huge mobile phone he carried around?. That was in response to mobiles being new at the time so folk were still treating them as a 'novelty'. I was on a bus back in the day with someone on the seat opposite giving a running commentary on his bus ride to the friend he was meeting. He was going on about 'the bus is in your street'...then' I can see you!!'...all of this acted out 'live' on a mobile phone. I think he did that as the concept of having mobile communications in your pocket was fairly new and so 'fun'. Same thing with escooters, but they've been around for a while now so the novelty factor should be wearing thin. Besides, what is 'fun' about doing 20mph on a pavement riding around pedestrians?. I usually suggest for thrill seekers that a far safer hobby - for everyone else that is - take up skydiving. It'll give someone a big thrill but if anything goes wrong, it'll only be them meeting the planet at speed
Who said I was going to ride it at 20mph on the pavement ??
I bought a trike as a “fun thing” as it was different from a bike that was 7 years ago and the novelty is still there and I'm the only person in my area who has one.
I still like this one
View: https://youtu.be/XeyETg3Cd3E
captain nemo1701
Space cadet. Deck 42 Main Engineering.
- Location
- Bristol
I didn't say you would ride it at 20mph, but others do. In fact, a guy with an unrestricted private (illegal) one races it at high speed on cyclepaths weaving in and out of people. That might be fun for him but its a risk for others. Time to clamp down on 'speedy fun' methinks, especially on pavements which are for walking not scooting. Lazy oiks should be on the road anyway
numbnuts
Legendary Member
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
I didn't say you would ride it at 20mph, but others do. In fact, a guy with an unrestricted private (illegal) one races it at high speed on cyclepaths weaving in and out of people. That might be fun for him but its a risk for others. Time to clamp down on 'speedy fun' methinks, especially on pavements which are for walking not scooting. Lazy oiks should be on the road anyway
Tarring everybody with the same brush
captain nemo1701
Space cadet. Deck 42 Main Engineering.
- Location
- Bristol
Well, if you're on a private escooter, you are breaking the law anyway no matter how careful or considerate you are. With respect, you don't live in a 'trial area' so you probably don't have to dodge them on pavements, including them being dumped anywhere, have had them coming at you the wrong way in a painted cycle lane or had a 72 year old friend knocked over into a hedge by one....
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Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
Stephenite
Membå
- Location
- OslO
The neighbour found an e-scooter in the woods near us a few months ago. Just thrown into the brush beside the path. He brought it home with him and has been trying to locate the owner since. No luck, and the police aren't interested either. I advised against keeping it indoors because we couldn't be sure what condition the battery is in and have heard stories of them catching fire. So it lives in a wooden box in my 'garden'. It works fine, at least, it did when i tried it.
He doesn't know what to do with it now. Neither do I.
He doesn't know what to do with it now. Neither do I.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65154854
Parisians have (90%) voted to ban rental electric scooters in their city - a triumph for road safety campaigners.
The referendum was called in response to a rising number of people being injured and killed on e-scooters in the French capital.
Paris was one of the first cities to adopt the electric vehicles - but critics argue they were causing more harm than good.
Must confess (as one who was comfy with cycling in London) that my experience of Paris was 'wild west' scooter racer boy and extra care required.
Parisians have (90%) voted to ban rental electric scooters in their city - a triumph for road safety campaigners.
The referendum was called in response to a rising number of people being injured and killed on e-scooters in the French capital.
Paris was one of the first cities to adopt the electric vehicles - but critics argue they were causing more harm than good.
Must confess (as one who was comfy with cycling in London) that my experience of Paris was 'wild west' scooter racer boy and extra care required.
