May be I am the only one, but I have lived a safe life until I arrived into two places in USA this summer:

- Washington D.C.
- Denver

The electric scooters - for rent on the streets through apps - are scattered on sidewalks, parks, you stumble across them, from multiple companies.

Then kids of any age jet by you with medium or little control, often with a friend on the same scooter.

May be I will stay inside at my hotel here in Denver, or may be I will creep next to the houses, to keep safe. I hate rental street scooters! They are a pest! I can't understand why they are allowed into the cities.

Bjornulf



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-08-10 19:00 by bv.

They seem to be in every city these days--I visit Nashville and Detroit often and they're all over the place there, too. They seem so obviously inherently dangerous, I have no idea why they're allowed, either. (I know they bring in money, but once the accidents and the lawsuits start . . . )

On a different, related note, a dude flew over the English Channel at speeds way over 100mph's; refueling in midair on a hoverboard. Like George Jetson!
Now that I can see catching on in a major way.

We also have them down here in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Kids aren't supposed to be able to ride them. You're supposed to be at least 16 and have a valid drivers license. And you're supposed to wear a helmet.

But nobody follows the rules. (Me included... I'm 44 and have a license, but I never wear a helmet.)

Those are so fun to ride. Easy way to get around but be careful. I saw some brutal spills.

My wife didn't know how to brake properly and had a slight accident. Needed a couple stitches and won't go on again. She's the smart one. Me, I'm the idiot who doesn't learn and I'll still continue to use them.

Well look at this, bv!

[www.9news.com]

Just in the nick of time for Denver maybe?

They are a pest!

Couldn't agree more!

They are extremely dangerous, to the drivers themselves and to anybody else out on the streets. They were filmed on French highways at speeds of 85 km/h! Their use is expensive! They are an ecological catastrophy! Average lifetime is 28 days before they are dumped! They don't get a single car off the streets or replace a single car ride! Paris introduced them about a year ago and now are desperately looking for ways to get rid of them! Here in Hamburg (and the whole of Germany) they were introduced about June 2019, i.e. licensed by the traffic ministry, seamingly without giving much consideration to any rules or regulations that should apply! Since we have the mess!

d.f

Get rid of them every morning on my run along the esplanda downtown Portland OR, I have to navigate thru them. They are also left on bridges and they are in the willamete and columbia rivers amazing.

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bv
May be I am the only one, but I have lived a safe life until I arrived into two places in USA this summer:

- Washington D.C.
- Denver

The electric scooters - for rent on the streets through apps - are scattered on sidewalks, parks, you stumble across them, from multiple companies.

Then kids of any age jet by you with medium or little control, often with a friend on the same scooter.

May be I will stay inside at my hotel here in Denver, or may be I will creep next to the houses, to keep safe. I hate rental street scooters! They are a pest! I can't understand why they are allowed into the cities.

Lots of cities have banned them, and I believe they won't last long in others.
Austin is the worst place I've encountered them.. they are supposed to be ridden in the street,
but few abide by that rule. Dangerous nuisances that litter the landscape.

I dunno, i quite enjoy them.

In my city they are all over. I talked to a woman recently who was in a wheelchair with a broken leg, who also had a broken arm.

When I asked what happened, she said it happened while riding a scooter.



Added that "they are a lot of fun...until they're not."

In my city they are all over. I talked to a woman recently who was in a wheelchair with a broken leg, who also had a broken arm.

When I asked what happened, she said it happened while riding a scooter.



Added that "they are a lot of fun... until they're not."

I saw 3 or 4 electric scooters in NYC i.e. on Manhattan. They were owned by the drivers, and looked professional. They had heavy duty wheels and they were riding with the cars, not on the sidewalk with people. Then they know how to handle the scooter, and they don't make any problems in the sidewalk.

I have been in many cities lately. Few with these scooters. I think it is just stupid lazy slow politicials who think it is "modern" to allow anything. These scooters are simply advertising posters for companies who sell a service, and they place these scooters so that you stumble across them. The pictures below are from just outside Washington D.C. (Arlington and Alexandria). They were all over D.C. too, and they are all over downtown Denver.

They take up a lot of space on sidewalks, like garbage/rubbish, blind people are doomed, you have to walk around them, and in use they best case hurt you, or others, worst case kill the drivers or others, like a guy did with a scooter in Sweden recently. Several old people 70+ age in Oslo are now in hospital and they will never be able to walk. Oslo Norway has this pest too, but I avoid Oslo city, luckily living outside.

Also, they are environmental rubbish, as they last only 3-4 months, then they must be thrown away, worn out.

Finally, if people live on and with junkfood, scooters, never walk, these are stuff degenerating their health (why walk ten minutes?). It just add up and the insurance companies and the hospitals will be happy with their prospect income, but if the tax payers share the bill, I am sure we should get rid of the scooters sooner rather than later.





Bjornulf



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-08-07 21:21 by bv.

This crap is on IORR WHY ?

I live in the DC area. As annoying as scooters are, our bigger safety issue are cyclists who feel entitled to ride however they please, yet expect everyone else to follow the laws. And I say this as someone who used to bike to work every day.

I was on vacation in Vienna this past month. We decided to use them for a quick trip back to our hotel. My daughter ran a yellow light and was pulled over by the police. They were extremely nice, but cautioned us on the dangers and the need to follow the rules of the road. Soon after I hit the curb and fell hard to the ground. My fault but after that we stuck to renting bikes. Its a beautiful way to see a city.

Detroit too...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-08-07 22:12 by Kurt.

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MrMibbs
This crap is on IORR WHY ?

Look who posted it. It's Bjornulf...he can post WHATEVER he wants.

.......and Bjørnulf, It woudn't be better when you are back in Bjørvika either.

Per Arne

It is against the law to use these scooters on the roads and pavements or public places here in the U.K. as far as I know.
There have been many bad accidents and a young girl was killed in a collision with a lorry in London recently.
The police are taking a stronger line to stop and fine people about £100 on these scooters ,but it is a scandal that just about any store or anyone on line can sell them with people thinking they can use them anywhere.
In reality it is only for use on your own property , or peoples property that you have permission to use a scooter on.

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MrMibbs
This crap is on IORR WHY ?

1. This is an OFF TOPIC post

2. It is quite ON TOPIC anyway, as fans are arriving into scooter crazy Denver these days

3. If the IORR editor is run over by a scooter here in Denver, his might be the end of IORR

4. Do you need more reasons, or may be not enough coffee today?

Bjornulf

Personally I would say that it is safer to have sex on the sidewalk, or drink alcohol from an open container in the public, than riding, or being passed close by, electric scooters. I am just back to my room from a quick walk for coffee here in downtown Denver, and I was passed by a swarm of 6-8 scooter drivers, tourists crossing on red lignts.

Bjornulf

All three at the same time sounds like fun.

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bv
Personally I would say that it is safer to have sex on the sidewalk, or drink alcohol from an open container in the public, than riding, or being passed close by, electric scooters. I am just back to my room from a quick walk for coffee here in downtown Denver, and I was passed by a swarm of 6-8 scooter drivers, tourists crossing on red lignts.

I assume you won't be buying the limited edition Rolling Stones one then BV :-)

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mattleeuk

Quote
bv
Personally I would say that it is safer to have sex on the sidewalk, or drink alcohol from an open container in the public, than riding, or being passed close by, electric scooters. I am just back to my room from a quick walk for coffee here in downtown Denver, and I was passed by a swarm of 6-8 scooter drivers, tourists crossing on red lignts.

I assume you won't be buying the limited edition Rolling Stones one then BV :-)

Someone said it cost $5,000 or so, that would be quite a few pit tickets for me...

Bjornulf

We have a peculiar situation with them in the UK.

They aren't legal on the roads or the footpath.

So you can buy one...but you can only ride it legally on private property.

There is currently a bit of a debate re their safety and whether some sort of regulation is required.

There was a scooter left in front of the house a few weeks ago and I think they are a pain in the arse. Somehow it managed to fly right into the back of the weekly garbage collection truck.

They’ve now been banned during overnight hours in Atlanta. . Too many accidents.

Just another symptom of the selfrightous sharing economy! It's me and my phone - then the rest of you!