Cities starting to ban scooters. DC to follow?

[Anonymous]

I love the scooters!

[Anonymous]

Just continue to throw scooters into the trash and over bridges and maybe the heady T&ES folks will get the idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paris is voting Sunday on whether to ban scooters. People are sick of them — they ride too fast, they go on the sidewalks, they leave their scooters everywhere. Copenhagen, Helsinki have imposed new restrictions. London wants to require people to get licenses. I would love it if DC banned them outright. They are a menace.

While we’re at it, let’s ban cars too. They are a menace that kill tens of thousands of the living population and are making the planet unlivable for everyone that comes after.

I was just in Manhattan for a week and walked everywhere. Not once did I fear for my life from a car, but the scooters and bikes in the bike lanes were a menace. No one obeyed the lights so stepping off the curb into the bike lane to cross the street was terrifying, and not only right after the light changed. My son narrowly missed getting hit very hard by a scooter, and I had two close calls with bikes that would have ended badly because they were going so fast. I would much rather walk amongst cars where the behavior of the drivers is more predictable and most follow the lights. It was the opposite for the bikes and scooters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paris is voting Sunday on whether to ban scooters. People are sick of them — they ride too fast, they go on the sidewalks, they leave their scooters everywhere. Copenhagen, Helsinki have imposed new restrictions. London wants to require people to get licenses. I would love it if DC banned them outright. They are a menace.

While we’re at it, let’s ban cars too. They are a menace that kill tens of thousands of the living population and are making the planet unlivable for everyone that comes after.

I was just in Manhattan for a week and walked everywhere. Not once did I fear for my life from a car, but the scooters and bikes in the bike lanes were a menace. No one obeyed the lights so stepping off the curb into the bike lane to cross the street was terrifying, and not only right after the light changed. My son narrowly missed getting hit very hard by a scooter, and I had two close calls with bikes that would have ended badly because they were going so fast. I would much rather walk amongst cars where the behavior of the drivers is more predictable and most follow the lights. It was the opposite for the bikes and scooters.

This. Manhattan has so much congestion and streets that are not car or speeding friendly (narrow, lots of one ways, very few places where you can pick up speed before you have to stop) so the dangers of cars are heavily mitigated. People on scooters and bikes who don't feel they have to obey any rules at all, and are not inhibited by the size of their vehicle, pose a bigger threat.

In my DC neighborhood, there are two places where I worry about cars and am super vigilant. But I worry about scooters and rogue cyclists everywhere when it comes to my kid. Scooters are especially bad because they are mostly on the sidewalk and because I don't get the sense that users are in great control of them either (at least most regular cyclists have very good control of their bikes, most people don't use scooters enough to have that kind of mastery -- I've seen so many people just fall over on them in the middle of the sidewalk because they don't know how to control the speed or how to stop).

[Anonymous]

We can all hope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with scooters? They don't have an impact on the air quality and they make it so people can get from one place to another faster than walking.

They' ride extremely fast on sidewalks and expect walkers to jump out of their way. I am scared every day because if I get hit I am going to be injured

How do you feel about cars? Are you scared every day because if a car hits you, you will be injured?

More so with scooters. They sneak up on you on the sidewalks. I always obey the walk signs so my fear of cars is less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paris is voting Sunday on whether to ban scooters. People are sick of them — they ride too fast, they go on the sidewalks, they leave their scooters everywhere. Copenhagen, Helsinki have imposed new restrictions. London wants to require people to get licenses. I would love it if DC banned them outright. They are a menace.

While we’re at it, let’s ban cars too. They are a menace that kill tens of thousands of the living population and are making the planet unlivable for everyone that comes after.

I was just in Manhattan for a week and walked everywhere. Not once did I fear for my life from a car, but the scooters and bikes in the bike lanes were a menace. No one obeyed the lights so stepping off the curb into the bike lane to cross the street was terrifying, and not only right after the light changed. My son narrowly missed getting hit very hard by a scooter, and I had two close calls with bikes that would have ended badly because they were going so fast. I would much rather walk amongst cars where the behavior of the drivers is more predictable and most follow the lights. It was the opposite for the bikes and scooters.

This. Manhattan has so much congestion and streets that are not car or speeding friendly (narrow, lots of one ways, very few places where you can pick up speed before you have to stop) so the dangers of cars are heavily mitigated. People on scooters and bikes who don't feel they have to obey any rules at all, and are not inhibited by the size of their vehicle, pose a bigger threat.

In my DC neighborhood, there are two places where I worry about cars and am super vigilant. But I worry about scooters and rogue cyclists everywhere when it comes to my kid. Scooters are especially bad because they are mostly on the sidewalk and because I don't get the sense that users are in great control of them either (at least most regular cyclists have very good control of their bikes, most people don't use scooters enough to have that kind of mastery -- I've seen so many people just fall over on them in the middle of the sidewalk because they don't know how to control the speed or how to stop).

You may not be aware that in DC bikes do not have to stop at stop signs.

[Anonymous]

Scooters seem pointless to me -- I think I've seen stats indicating they mostly replace walking trips, which is a wash from any green or pedestrian-friendly standpoint, and they seem dangerous both to their riders and to people walking nearby. I'm extremely in favor of non-car modes of transportation and making the city much more accommodating for people who aren't in cars, but I honestly think we could do without the scooters. Just ride a bike if you think walking is too slow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paris is voting Sunday on whether to ban scooters. People are sick of them — they ride too fast, they go on the sidewalks, they leave their scooters everywhere. Copenhagen, Helsinki have imposed new restrictions. London wants to require people to get licenses. I would love it if DC banned them outright. They are a menace.

While we’re at it, let’s ban cars too. They are a menace that kill tens of thousands of the living population and are making the planet unlivable for everyone that comes after.

I was just in Manhattan for a week and walked everywhere. Not once did I fear for my life from a car, but the scooters and bikes in the bike lanes were a menace. No one obeyed the lights so stepping off the curb into the bike lane to cross the street was terrifying, and not only right after the light changed. My son narrowly missed getting hit very hard by a scooter, and I had two close calls with bikes that would have ended badly because they were going so fast. I would much rather walk amongst cars where the behavior of the drivers is more predictable and most follow the lights. It was the opposite for the bikes and scooters.

This. Manhattan has so much congestion and streets that are not car or speeding friendly (narrow, lots of one ways, very few places where you can pick up speed before you have to stop) so the dangers of cars are heavily mitigated. People on scooters and bikes who don't feel they have to obey any rules at all, and are not inhibited by the size of their vehicle, pose a bigger threat.

In my DC neighborhood, there are two places where I worry about cars and am super vigilant. But I worry about scooters and rogue cyclists everywhere when it comes to my kid. Scooters are especially bad because they are mostly on the sidewalk and because I don't get the sense that users are in great control of them either (at least most regular cyclists have very good control of their bikes, most people don't use scooters enough to have that kind of mastery -- I've seen so many people just fall over on them in the middle of the sidewalk because they don't know how to control the speed or how to stop).

You may not be aware that in DC bikes do not have to stop at stop signs.

They do when I’m driving

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paris is voting Sunday on whether to ban scooters. People are sick of them — they ride too fast, they go on the sidewalks, they leave their scooters everywhere. Copenhagen, Helsinki have imposed new restrictions. London wants to require people to get licenses. I would love it if DC banned them outright. They are a menace.

While we’re at it, let’s ban cars too. They are a menace that kill tens of thousands of the living population and are making the planet unlivable for everyone that comes after.

I was just in Manhattan for a week and walked everywhere. Not once did I fear for my life from a car, but the scooters and bikes in the bike lanes were a menace. No one obeyed the lights so stepping off the curb into the bike lane to cross the street was terrifying, and not only right after the light changed. My son narrowly missed getting hit very hard by a scooter, and I had two close calls with bikes that would have ended badly because they were going so fast. I would much rather walk amongst cars where the behavior of the drivers is more predictable and most follow the lights. It was the opposite for the bikes and scooters.

Cars are predictable because nearly everyone follows the law. Bikes and scooters are far more unpredictable because most seem to see traffic laws as something that’s for other people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paris is voting Sunday on whether to ban scooters. People are sick of them — they ride too fast, they go on the sidewalks, they leave their scooters everywhere. Copenhagen, Helsinki have imposed new restrictions. London wants to require people to get licenses. I would love it if DC banned them outright. They are a menace.

While we’re at it, let’s ban cars too. They are a menace that kill tens of thousands of the living population and are making the planet unlivable for everyone that comes after.

I was just in Manhattan for a week and walked everywhere. Not once did I fear for my life from a car, but the scooters and bikes in the bike lanes were a menace. No one obeyed the lights so stepping off the curb into the bike lane to cross the street was terrifying, and not only right after the light changed. My son narrowly missed getting hit very hard by a scooter, and I had two close calls with bikes that would have ended badly because they were going so fast. I would much rather walk amongst cars where the behavior of the drivers is more predictable and most follow the lights. It was the opposite for the bikes and scooters.

Cars are predictable because nearly everyone follows the law. Bikes and scooters are far more unpredictable because most seem to see traffic laws as something that’s for other people.

I don’t know where you live, but in my cross-DC commute today I saw rampant speeding, red light running, and rolling stops through stop signs. The notion that near all drivers follow the law is a sick joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paris is voting Sunday on whether to ban scooters. People are sick of them — they ride too fast, they go on the sidewalks, they leave their scooters everywhere. Copenhagen, Helsinki have imposed new restrictions. London wants to require people to get licenses. I would love it if DC banned them outright. They are a menace.

While we’re at it, let’s ban cars too. They are a menace that kill tens of thousands of the living population and are making the planet unlivable for everyone that comes after.

I was just in Manhattan for a week and walked everywhere. Not once did I fear for my life from a car, but the scooters and bikes in the bike lanes were a menace. No one obeyed the lights so stepping off the curb into the bike lane to cross the street was terrifying, and not only right after the light changed. My son narrowly missed getting hit very hard by a scooter, and I had two close calls with bikes that would have ended badly because they were going so fast. I would much rather walk amongst cars where the behavior of the drivers is more predictable and most follow the lights. It was the opposite for the bikes and scooters.

This. Manhattan has so much congestion and streets that are not car or speeding friendly (narrow, lots of one ways, very few places where you can pick up speed before you have to stop) so the dangers of cars are heavily mitigated. People on scooters and bikes who don't feel they have to obey any rules at all, and are not inhibited by the size of their vehicle, pose a bigger threat.

In my DC neighborhood, there are two places where I worry about cars and am super vigilant. But I worry about scooters and rogue cyclists everywhere when it comes to my kid. Scooters are especially bad because they are mostly on the sidewalk and because I don't get the sense that users are in great control of them either (at least most regular cyclists have very good control of their bikes, most people don't use scooters enough to have that kind of mastery -- I've seen so many people just fall over on them in the middle of the sidewalk because they don't know how to control the speed or how to stop).

You may not be aware that in DC bikes do not have to stop at stop signs.

They are still required to yield to pedestrians at all times (not just on sidewalks and in crosswalks). They don't though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paris is voting Sunday on whether to ban scooters. People are sick of them — they ride too fast, they go on the sidewalks, they leave their scooters everywhere. Copenhagen, Helsinki have imposed new restrictions. London wants to require people to get licenses. I would love it if DC banned them outright. They are a menace.

While we’re at it, let’s ban cars too. They are a menace that kill tens of thousands of the living population and are making the planet unlivable for everyone that comes after.

I was just in Manhattan for a week and walked everywhere. Not once did I fear for my life from a car, but the scooters and bikes in the bike lanes were a menace. No one obeyed the lights so stepping off the curb into the bike lane to cross the street was terrifying, and not only right after the light changed. My son narrowly missed getting hit very hard by a scooter, and I had two close calls with bikes that would have ended badly because they were going so fast. I would much rather walk amongst cars where the behavior of the drivers is more predictable and most follow the lights. It was the opposite for the bikes and scooters.

Cars are predictable because nearly everyone follows the law. Bikes and scooters are far more unpredictable because most seem to see traffic laws as something that’s for other people.

I don’t know where you live, but in my cross-DC commute today I saw rampant speeding, red light running, and rolling stops through stop signs. The notion that near all drivers follow the law is a sick joke.

No one would bike in DC if it wasn’t safe. People wouldn’t put small children on bikes if they thought it was dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Paris is voting Sunday on whether to ban scooters. People are sick of them — they ride too fast, they go on the sidewalks, they leave their scooters everywhere. Copenhagen, Helsinki have imposed new restrictions. London wants to require people to get licenses. I would love it if DC banned them outright. They are a menace.

No. Ban cars instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paris is voting Sunday on whether to ban scooters. People are sick of them — they ride too fast, they go on the sidewalks, they leave their scooters everywhere. Copenhagen, Helsinki have imposed new restrictions. London wants to require people to get licenses. I would love it if DC banned them outright. They are a menace.

While we’re at it, let’s ban cars too. They are a menace that kill tens of thousands of the living population and are making the planet unlivable for everyone that comes after.

I was just in Manhattan for a week and walked everywhere. Not once did I fear for my life from a car, but the scooters and bikes in the bike lanes were a menace. No one obeyed the lights so stepping off the curb into the bike lane to cross the street was terrifying, and not only right after the light changed. My son narrowly missed getting hit very hard by a scooter, and I had two close calls with bikes that would have ended badly because they were going so fast. I would much rather walk amongst cars where the behavior of the drivers is more predictable and most follow the lights. It was the opposite for the bikes and scooters.

Cars are predictable because nearly everyone follows the law. Bikes and scooters are far more unpredictable because most seem to see traffic laws as something that’s for other people.

I don’t know where you live, but in my cross-DC commute today I saw rampant speeding, red light running, and rolling stops through stop signs. The notion that near all drivers follow the law is a sick joke.

+1

I am not someone who always obeys traffic laws but the blatant running of red lights at major intersections in the city has become really dangerous. And it’s always someone speeding up through the red light. It happens very frequently on my commute.