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Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom

theguardian.com

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Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom

#11

Post by hughesjj »

GuB-42 wrote: post #9
wkat4242 wrote: post #2

Meh. 13kmh is not a lot and these are only suitable for really smooth floors. Don't see the point though because these things are so big they must be checked in which is the first thing you do at an airport so they can't be used after that. I also wonder how much useful space is left in them after the slide-out steering mechanism, batteries and motors. I'd be more worried about tons of lithium batteries made to the c…

It looks like it is just the size for carry-on luggage, with a removable battery with a capacity no higher than the maximum allowed. They obviously thought about these things. They weight about 10kg though. It means if the airline imposes a limit on the weight of a carry-on, you probably won't be ably to put anything inside of it. But because the battery is removable, you can still check it in and keep the battery wi…

I saw a kid riding one of these in HND (past security) about a month ago. It was definitely carryon sized.

Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom

#13

Post by throwaway22032 »

recursive wrote: post #10
petsfed wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of the problem here is that it seems like you can't actually pedal this thing, which is to me (and a lot of lawmakers in the US) sort of foundational to the concept "bicycle". The other problem here is that with ever-increasing electric motor technology, old standards like engine displacement, or even power supply (gas vs electric) are not great indicators of the maximum speed of these things. As it stands, whil…

I see a lot of scooters around here with vestigial compliance pedals, mostly driven by gig delivery drivers. The form factor looks more like a moped. No one would ever use those pedals. Clearly they're there to skirt some kind of regulation. I'm not sure what the fix is, but "able to pedaled" is kind of a ridiculous compromise.

In the UK the pedals are supposed to provide the assist. Handlebar mounted throttles are not allowed.

None of this is enforced.

Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom

#14

Post by munificent »

dylan604 wrote: post #4
wkat4242 wrote: post #2

Meh. 13kmh is not a lot and these are only suitable for really smooth floors. Don't see the point though because these things are so big they must be checked in which is the first thing you do at an airport so they can't be used after that. I also wonder how much useful space is left in them after the slide-out steering mechanism, batteries and motors. I'd be more worried about tons of lithium batteries made to the c…

> I also wonder how much useful space is left in them after the slide-out steering mechanism, batteries and motors. looking at the image in TFA, that looks about the size of a carry on which is much smaller than I was imagining. to counter, there's a Visa commercial running as part of the Olympics with Simone Biles next to her suitcase which is as big as she is. It is disturbingly large. Like, it can't be real, can i…

> Simone Biles next to her suitcase which is as big as she is. It is disturbingly large. Like, it can't be real, can it? Or she is just that little.

She is 4 ft 8 in (142 cm). She's almost carry-on sized herself.

Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom

#16

Post by creakingstairs »

A few weeks ago, Mezameshi 8 (morning news that my wife watches) was fixated on foreign tourists for days and days. Sure, tourists can be bothersome but they’ve been making mountains of molehills. The rideable electric suitcase was one of those issues. I actually laughed out loud as I watched it.

Edit: Also I now remember laughing as the panels started gasping at tourists jaywalking which I regularly see where I live.

Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom

#17

Post by fermentation »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #15

Why? Is there supposed to be any problem in riding suitcases besides the very fact this formally breaks a law? Shouldn't they better just update the law to add an exception?

The areas where these would be used are super crowded, it is likely that the riders are constantly bumping into people.

Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom

#18

Post by emchammer »

recursive wrote: post #10
petsfed wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of the problem here is that it seems like you can't actually pedal this thing, which is to me (and a lot of lawmakers in the US) sort of foundational to the concept "bicycle". The other problem here is that with ever-increasing electric motor technology, old standards like engine displacement, or even power supply (gas vs electric) are not great indicators of the maximum speed of these things. As it stands, whil…

I see a lot of scooters around here with vestigial compliance pedals, mostly driven by gig delivery drivers. The form factor looks more like a moped. No one would ever use those pedals. Clearly they're there to skirt some kind of regulation. I'm not sure what the fix is, but "able to pedaled" is kind of a ridiculous compromise.

Vestigial pedals, LOL. Many deliveristas in NYC are seemingly competent riders. I noticed that an increasing number of them have bright red and blue blinking lights the exact color of police car emergency lights. That is distracting and bothers me more than a lot of their riding.

Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom

#19

Post by Johnny555 »

bootloop wrote: post #3

They need a new vehicle category? Why does an electric bicycle need a driver license in the first place?

Because many electric "bicycles" are throttle controlled and are essentially electric motorcyles and they should be regulated as such. The "pedal assist" ones aren't so bad, but some of the more powerful ones with unrestricted motors can go 40+ mph.

Even the pedal assist ones can be a hazard by giving a rider false confidence or letting him ride faster than his capabilities. It takes a pretty experienced bike rider to sustain 25+ mph, but with electric assist, a lot more people can go that fast or faster for long periods without having developed the skills to do so safely.

Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom

#20

Post by qwerty456127 »

fermentation wrote: post #17
qwerty456127 wrote: post #15

Why? Is there supposed to be any problem in riding suitcases besides the very fact this formally breaks a law? Shouldn't they better just update the law to add an exception?

The areas where these would be used are super crowded, it is likely that the riders are constantly bumping into people.

I see. Why not just limit the speed to that of a fast walking / slow running human and/or fine those who would ride carelessly enough to bump so people would have to remember deciding to ride means taking responsibility? Maybe also ban using smartphone while riding.
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