Electric scooters are all the rage

[Velar Fricative]

But not in NYC, because we're too crowded. I'm totally oblivious to the scooter craze as a result. Maybe I've noticed them elsewhere, but they must not have bothered me enough for me to notice. I can definitely see a bunch of assholes on them here though, so I think I approve of them not being a thing here. 

So, non-New Yorkers, is this really a craze where you are? Do you hate scooter-riders? Are you a proud scooter-rider? 

www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/nyregion/electric-scooters-new-york.html

Companies like Bird and Lime that rent scooters in other cities have stayed away from New York because the devices are technically illegal. Rule breakers could get hit with a $500 fine or have their scooter confiscated.


So New Yorkers, long proud of their status as cultural trendsetters on everything from fashion to Cronuts, have been left out of the scooter craze sweeping the nation.



Electric scooters have appeared in dozens of cities — from Los Angeles to Washington and across the Midwest — winning plenty of fans and at least as many enemies who view them as a nuisance. They are a cheap way to get around, for fun or commuting, and are faster than walking and more enjoyable than sitting in traffic.

[madisen]

They are all over los angeles. From Santa Monica and Venice in the west to hipster Los Feliz and Echo Park to the east.

[katieinthecity]

They're in DC and the close suburbs. I think they're obnoxious. People don't wear helmets and weave in and out of pedestrians. And they leave them in seemingly random places. I almost got broadsided by one downtown last weekend. But maybe I'm all "GIT OFF MY LAWN" about it. I just feel like it needs more regulation to be safe.

[revolution]

It's a craze here. Fairly new. DH works downtown and that is where they are. neither of us ride them or nor do we hate them. DH is around them a lot more due to job locations, he's never complained and I think he is fascinated by them. He also thinks if he tried to ride one he would probably break himself somehow, so he chooses to walk instead.

[Velar Fricative]

May 29, 2019 13:14:44 GMT -5 katieinthecity said:

They're in DC and the close suburbs. I think they're obnoxious. People don't wear helmets and weave in and out of pedestrians. And they leave them in seemingly random places. I almost got broadsided by one downtown last weekend. But maybe I'm all "GIT OFF MY LAWN" about it. I just feel like it needs more regulation to be safe.

Yeah given the accidents and injuries mentioned I would not ride one of these without a helmet. 

[wambam]

I have never seen anyone actually riding one, but I have seen numerous scooters left…wherever.

[sewf]

We have them in my area. I’m pretty meh about them. I walk to / from work most days, and I see them on the sidewalks, but don’t see people riding them often. I do think they are dangerous, like riding a bike without a helmet, because we don’t have many bike lanes in our area, so they are supposed to be on the street. Honestly, even as a pedestrian, I would rather have them on the sidewalks, as long as the people riding them are considerate to the pedestrians and elderly.

[arch01]

I'm in Charlotte and they are definitely popular here. Council banned them on some sidewalks in January; I personally cannot stand them as a lot of the ones I see aren't being ridden safely-weaving in and out of traffic (both vehicular and pedestrian), trying to beat cars through intersections, etc.

[VillainV]

My sister is an ER doc in DC and sees a lot of injuries resulting from the scooters. First, riders almost never wear helmets even though they can go as fast or faster than a bike. Second, most scooters operate on sidewalks instead of on the road or in bike lanes, so collisions with pedestrians are common. However, collisions with motor vehicles are really common (because people sometimes operate them on or across roads). Third, unlike rental bikes, there aren’t any docking stations, so users simply discard them wherever they happen to be (the company can later use GPS to locate them), so they are often left where they block pedestrian traffic, bikes lanes, or even the street, where they’re left for days. The companies that operate them usually “launch” in a new city by simply dumping these things — they don’t get permits or anything.

Bottom line: they are dangerous, unregulated, and cause a huge nuisance.

[pixy0stix]

They've been banned here, but we just worked out legislation to allow them in areas other than our downtown area. The municipality is also going to contract with 1 company, and only that company will be allowed to have scooters here. The community has been pretty vocal that they don't want the problems of scooters just dumped everywhere, so this is how the city is dealing with it.

[1confused1]

May 29, 2019 13:17:06 GMT -5 wambam said:

I have never seen anyone actually riding one, but I have seen numerous scooters left…wherever.

As a former shopping center property manager, this was my issue with them. People just leave them in the middle of the sidewalk and they automatically lock, so you can't move them out of the way.

[keyslover]

All over Minneapolis.

[Deleted]

They were here but got banned for all the reasons mentioned. I want something to be figured out to make these workable because I fucking LOATHE riding a bike but would like some other alternative transportation mode for those distances that are a bit too long to walk but maybe don’t need a car or bus trip.

[picaflora]

Lime is getting ready to dump a bunch of scooters here (Roanoke VA) in June. I'm not really sure how much they will be used once the novelty wears off. The downtown area isn't very big, and the rest of the city is pretty spread out. We do have small pockets of popular walk-able commercial districts that are mostly connected by a greenway. Maybe people will use them to get between the districts? Our greenways stay busy as it is, and many need to be wider. If people start leaving these in the middle of the greenway I forsee many of them either getting chucked in the river, or washed away when the river occasionally floods the greenway.

[mbcdefg]

I saw a ton of them in Nashville when I took a trip there earlier this month.

I believe that Jersey City and Hoboken also have them now. I know I've seen a few in JC.

[rbp]

They've been all over Atlanta for...a year or so? I remember my H riding one on Father's Day last year. My balance is poor and I am risk-averse, so I didn't get on it. We live just outside the city and don't see the scooters in our neighborhood, but when we visit our hip intown friends there are throngs of scooter riders.

I really like the idea of a shared mode of transit for the last mile problem, but it seems that the scooters have created more problems than they have solved. The Atlanta City Council passed some e-scooter regulations in January--I'm not sure how much those are helping. Some of the suburban towns have banned them.

[formerlyak]

They are all over most of LA, but my city has banned them. People were totally assholes with them, not yielding to pedestrians, leaving them in the middle of the sidewalks, leaving them in peoples' front yard. It was terrible. I am glad they are banned here.

[One Girl In All The World]

I see them all over the place in Baltimore, at least around where my office is. Saw lots of them in DC when we were down there a couple weeks ago too. They go way too fast and people just run you over on the sidewalk or zip across streets without really paying any attention. Not a fan.

[icedcoffee]

I have no opinions on these, but WTF to this comment:

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is known to work out on a stationary bike at the gym, has scoffed at the idea of riding a scooter.

“I just don’t like the idea personally, because I’m like, ‘If you’re going to move around why are you not getting some exercise?’” the mayor told reporters last fall. “It seems really passive to me.”

Uhhh...maybe because the streets are overpopulated with cars and not everyone wants to walk or ride a bike?

Anyway--I guess if I had to have an opinion on them mine would be that I think they're a good idea/alternative to driving, but we need to regulate them and the way people ride them/park them.

[Michelle]

May 29, 2019 13:45:55 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

I saw a ton of them in Nashville when I took a trip there earlier this month.

I believe that Jersey City and Hoboken also have them now. I know I've seen a few in JC.

this is where I first saw them and thought it was an awesome idea until I started observing all the complaints made by others like collisions, accidents, leaving them randomly in the middle of the sidewalk, etc.

[mbcdefg]

May 29, 2019 13:53:16 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

I have no opinions on these, but WTF to this comment:

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is known to work out on a stationary bike at the gym, has scoffed at the idea of riding a scooter.

“I just don’t like the idea personally, because I’m like, ‘If you’re going to move around why are you not getting some exercise?’” the mayor told reporters last fall. “It seems really passive to me.”

Uhhh...maybe because the streets are overpopulated with cars and not everyone wants to walk or ride a bike?

Anyway--I guess if I had to have an opinion on them mine would be that I think they're a good idea/alternative to driving, but we need to regulate them and the way people ride them/park them.

The point for a lot of people isn't to get exercise, Bill, it's to get from Point A to Point B. And if you're going to work you likely don't want to show up a sweaty mess from "exercise." 

I used to work in NYC and commuted on the train from New Jersey. A lot of people carried those little fold-up Razor scooters with them on the train, then unfolded it and rode to their office. 

[icedcoffee]

May 29, 2019 14:00:22 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

May 29, 2019 13:53:16 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

I have no opinions on these, but WTF to this comment:

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is known to work out on a stationary bike at the gym, has scoffed at the idea of riding a scooter.

“I just don’t like the idea personally, because I’m like, ‘If you’re going to move around why are you not getting some exercise?’” the mayor told reporters last fall. “It seems really passive to me.”

Uhhh...maybe because the streets are overpopulated with cars and not everyone wants to walk or ride a bike?

Anyway--I guess if I had to have an opinion on them mine would be that I think they're a good idea/alternative to driving, but we need to regulate them and the way people ride them/park them.

The point for a lot of people isn't to get exercise, Bill, it's to get from Point A to Point B. And if you're going to work you likely don't want to show up a sweaty mess from "exercise." 

I used to work in NYC and commuted on the train from New Jersey. A lot of people carried those little fold-up Razor scooters with them on the train, then unfolded it and rode to their office. 

Yes---I agree with you 100% (in case that wasn't clear from my post.  I'm tired.  LOL).

[lishie]

I live in the city in Pittsburgh and there are Scoobis parked all over my neighborhood. When I did a girls trip to Nashville I saw scooters everywhere.

[isabel]

They were all over San Diego last year when I was there for a conference. A friend flew in to join me for the weekend. She used the scooters, I used the bikes. They were very popular all over the city and seemed to be used by both locals and tourists from what I could tell.

We have them in Denver now, but I'm not sure how popular they are. The few times I've been downtown, I've seen people using them, but it didn't seem like they were getting quite the same level of use as I saw in SD.

I don't really mind them if people are polite and try not to be assholes. Unfortunately, things like this often get ruined because of that.

[ECB]

Yup, all over Baltimore. I rode one once as DH and I walked from dinner to another bar for a drink. It was fun but nothing I'd do again. Especially because I have a good friend who tore her ACL going to a Ravens game and had to have surgery, go through PT, etc. A car turned in front of her and she put her leg down to help stop and... that's all she wrote.

[goldengirlz]

They were a craze here but San Francisco essentially banned them. I think Bird is coming back soon with limits.

I see both sides. I’m all for more non-car transportation options but when tourists and joy riders monopolize pedestrian space (like the Embarcadero), they become a nuisance and a safety risk.

[mbcdefg]

May 29, 2019 14:01:43 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

May 29, 2019 14:00:22 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

The point for a lot of people isn't to get exercise, Bill, it's to get from Point A to Point B. And if you're going to work you likely don't want to show up a sweaty mess from "exercise." 

I used to work in NYC and commuted on the train from New Jersey. A lot of people carried those little fold-up Razor scooters with them on the train, then unfolded it and rode to their office. 

Yes---I agree with you 100% (in case that wasn't clear from my post.  I'm tired.  LOL).

I know, I was commenting on DeBlasio's statement. 

[notsopicky]

Razor scooter 4LYFE! I used to ride that thing everywhere in DC. (I lived in Dupont Circle pre-H). And like mbcdefg said, you just fold it up, put it in the navy Razor bag and carry it with you once you arrive at your destination. I rode that thing clear across town once--from Connecticut Avenue (20th & T) to the MLK Library (9th & G!).

I don't think I would ride a motorized one around town.

[wesleycrusher]

May 29, 2019 14:06:22 GMT -5 lishie said:

I live in the city in Pittsburgh and there are Scoobis parked all over my neighborhood. When I did a girls trip to Nashville I saw scooters everywhere.

I live in the city in Pittsburgh and I haven't seen them anywhere!  I'll have to keep my eyes open.

DH has used the scooters in San Diego when he's there for work. He has a helmet.

[stever]

They’re eeeverywhere in LA.