Electric scooters.

[KnittyNorah]

Wait until you learn about cars!

Although cars abuse the pavements, and block them, it is fairly rare for them to drive along them at speed, weaving in and out of pedestrians - and (at least at present) most cars are audible to most of the visually-impaired. Electric scooters, on the other hand ...

 

[Tenkaykev]

Although cars abuse the pavements, and block them, it is fairly rare for them to drive along them at speed, weaving in and out of pedestrians - and (at least at present) most cars are audible to most of the visually-impaired. Electric scooters, on the other hand ...

The lad on the electric scooter who whizzed along the pavement outside our house last week could certainly be heard. He had a Bluetooth speaker hanging off the handlebars and playing his “ Bangin toonz” at full volume…

 

[captain nemo1701]

Yep but try telling the yoofs and older blokes (and the odd woman) round here that is the case

There's an utter nob end with a souped up one who uses the local cycling infrastructure to do about 40mph while filming his exploits
..he does wear a helmet...I'm waiting for the helmet mounted Go Pro he uses to penetrate his pea-sized brain when he inevitably comes off

I see a similar guy on the B2B Railway Path. Unrestricted model, can do about 40mph.

 

[captain nemo1701]

I think the e-scooters will soon be acceptable.

I was following a guy on a single wheeled Uni-scooter. He was in full leathers with knee pads and elbow pads doing over 30mph. With no emergency brakes.
If he were to hit any reasonable sized pothole he’d be off.

Yep, seen a guy in Bristol on one, no shoulder checks, no signalling, casually weaving about like a swooping bird.

 

[MontyVeda]

Got overtaken by a doob on an electric scooter today... it had a seat post and seat fitted to it... now that is cheating!

 

[KnittyNorah]

The lad on the electric scooter who whizzed along the pavement outside our house last week could certainly be heard. He had a Bluetooth speaker hanging off the handlebars and playing his “ Bangin toonz” at full volume…

One day I dream of getting my own back on people like that - with a ghetto blaster and bagpipe recordings strapped to my shopping trolley!

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Unicycles are a different matter - as they have no handlebars of any kind so a fast stop will just through the rider off

ELectric scooters would be fine if they were limited (like ebikes) and stuck to the road/cycle paths
i.e. obey the same rules as ebikes

The problem is that the government has not done anything about it when they have been sold all over the places for ages

Hence no regulations and loads already around.
So - if they put any regs into place - the older ones (the ones currently existing - will not be legal but there is no easy way to tell the legal ones from the illegal ones

too late in other words

As far as the rented ones are concerned - there is loads of stuff in the local papers about them being left all over the pavement - either left there by the renter - or parked properly but knocked over either accidentally or deliberatly - to lie where people want to walk

 

[matticus]

Although cars abuse the pavements, and block them, it is fairly rare for them to drive along them at speed, weaving in and out of pedestrians - and (at least at present) most cars are audible to most of the visually-impaired. Electric scooters, on the other hand ...

Nevertheless, car-drivers kill frequently on our pavements.(will try to find some stats!)
2 wrongs don't make a right etc etc ...

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

At the end of the day there is no problem with bikes or scooters on the pavement

as long as they make absolutely certain that they give way to any and all walkers, pram pushers, etc etc etc - including allowing for any unusual or unexpected changes in direction etc etc
so doing 15 mph on a pavement anywhere near a pedestrian (etc) is never good

But - as with everything - if 'those' people are not stopped and prosecuted then they will keep doing it and end up feeling they are entitled to do it as they have been doing it for ages
and more and more people start doing it as 'everyone does it'

but if the Police (or whoever) are constantly having to cut back and prioritise then trying to catch a teenager on an escooter is always going to come below drink driving (which kills a lot of people every year) and general violence or all types.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Nevertheless, car-drivers kill frequently on our pavements.(will try to find some stats!)
2 wrongs don't make a right etc etc ...

It is certainly true that motor vehicles kill a great many pedestrians who are merely going about their lawful business in spaces supposedly reserved, and in theory safe, for them.
Scooterists will never take the same toll that motor vehicles do.
However a law abiding and responsible driver does not drive willy-nilly at speed along the pavement seeming to deliberately terrorise pedestrians, especially vulnerable ones. In my area, where there are no hire-scooter trials going on, scooterists are by definition not law abiding and - from my personal observations - are almost always displaying their irresponsibility, riding 2-up, weaving through traffic, speeding in pedestrianised areas and the like. This results in the vulnerable, the nervous, the less-nimble and so on being fearful of using the spaces that are - supposedly - reserved for all pedestrians , not just the alert, the nimble and the confident. to use in safety.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I came across a lad on an E scooter today carrying all his shopping festooned on the handlebars and grinning sheepishly at me because the battery was dying on an uphill section.

I refrained from pointing out that a bike is cheaper and more comfortable, and would have been much faster...

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I came across a lad on an E scooter today carrying all his shopping festooned on the handlebars and grinning sheepishly at me because the battery was dying on an uphill section.

I refrained from pointing out that a bike is cheaper and more comfortable, and would have been much faster...

an ebike would be even better

jus' sayin'

 

[Andy in Germany]

an ebike would be even better

jus' sayin'

Harder to maintain though. More expensive too.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Harder to maintain though. More expensive too.

More expensive certainly

but mostly just a bike - if the bits are good quality then they last
however a mid drive has the motor plus the rider going through the chain and gears etc so good quality or replace it every year!

Anyway - a LOT of people on here have a bike far more expensive than my Motus

 

[mistyoptic]

Saw some tosser on an e-scooter last week go straight across a busy junction with the lights on red against him the other day. Bet if it had gone pear shaped some poor motorist would have got the blame and the trauma.

wasn’t a yoof either but a “mature” chap, perhaps late fifties