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Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

nytimes.com

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Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#151

Post by ethbro »

rubicon33 wrote: post #116
imgabe wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also bike. Don't give me a bike lane? That's fine, I'll take the middle of the traffic lane. Honk all you like, I'm not going to give you room to try and squeeze between me and the oncoming traffic while I risk getting doored. Cars can wait.

Good luck to you, it's a dangerous game you're playing. It just takes one idiot in a car who doesn't notice you because they're checking their instagram feed, or whatever, for your life to be over. I knew someone growing up who was a very successful banker. He had everything - 3 kids, a beautiful wife, amazing house, etc. Cycled to work every day. One day, someone didn't see him. Doctors managed to save his life but…

A friend of a friend, after some yelling traded with an entitled driver, had the motorist turn around, deliberately hit him, then drag him under the vehicle as they fled the scene.

(All of this was captured on video with several witnesses)

Having someone put away on a muder charge is small comfort for never being able to fully use your body again.

Road rage is real. People are assholes. And you're not going to win a bike vs car escalation.

#CriticalMass ... but protect yourself at all times.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#152

Post by jonlucc »

notatoad wrote: post #27
jonlucc wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my city, we have a small conundrum. The scooters move more like bikes than walkers, but the language on our bike trail system explicitly forbids any "motorized vehicles". Of course, reasonable people could argue that such a law can be ignored, but I know I'm risking a ticket if an officer so chooses. Also, bicyclists seem to seriously hate the scooters. I'm not entirely sure why, but it seems to be that they're ju…

FWIW, most places have a definition of "motorized vehicle" written into their laws somewhere, and it's usually not "any vehicle with a motor". motors under a certain power outut or vehicles capped to a certain speed don't usually count as motor vehicles, to allow things like mobility scooters & powered wheelchairs to travel on sidewalks or bike paths.

That's a great point; I'll look into it. Thank you

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#153

Post by robotkdick »

komali2 wrote: post #56
randyrand wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I follow them. You really have no choice if you care about your own and others safety.

Well, thank you, that's very good, but that doesn't exactly solve the problem. I'm a hard-line rule following bicyclist, but I have no control over the other cyclists that blast past me at red lights. What are we supposed to do, render our nonexistent authority over them? I suppose I can say "please don't do that," but I try that and it has no effect.

I applaud your attempt at civil discourse. You deserve a medal for patience. Thank you for posting as I think discussions like this could use more of your style.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#154

Post by tln »

Sephr wrote: post #117
tln wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just rent/ride an ebike? Once you put a seat on a normal 2-wheeled scooter it's not much smaller than a bike. I'm not sure I'd trust the balancing capabilities of the unicycles you've linked to, especially in the face of shitty roads. Have you tried one?

These are much safer than small-wheeled scooters as their larger wheels allows them to more gracefully handle bumps in the road. Also, unlike most ebikes I can actually sit stationary on these without falling over. I'm very short and most ebikes are not designed for short people.

Yeah rental ebikes don't scale down very well. You should be able to buy a bike that fits you well, and add ebike capabilities via a kit (yourself or have someone do it).

I haven't used a balancing unicycle, but based on experience with other balancing vehicles, I doubt I'd feel safe going as fast as on a scooter. Sounds like you might own one?

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#155

Post by robotkdick »

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #25
randyrand wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've owned both a scooter and skateboard for 7 months. I disagree, you can ride a scooter on a sidewalk safely and I need to do it from time to time. Of course, I don't prefer it. But it's pretty easy to do safely and it shouldn't bother anyone if done correctly. The rules I follow: 1. Go much much slower. 2. Stay far away from other people and blind corners. 3. Always assume a person is about to make an erratic move…

This. It's all about relative speed difference. If the cars are going slow then riding with them is no problem. If there's no (slow) people on the sidewalk then you can ride there.

Agreed. The one thing that is scary for everyone in these situations is the element of surprise. If you eliminate the "blowing through stoplights" or the hurry and brake fast behind a pedestrian, or worse, you eliminate 95% of the issues.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#156

Post by walshemj »

komali2 wrote: post #30
notatoad wrote: post #22

>They belong in the bike lane (which should exist in the first place) the problem is the existence of bike lanes. If public officials start saying "scooters belong in the bike lane", then they have to confront the fact that their cities have no cohesive network of bike lanes that can actually support a real journey. This has been acceptable up until now, because cyclists are weird and it's okay to tell them to just r…

> because cyclists are weird and it's okay to tell them to just ride in amongst trucks travelling 40mph. This is unsustainable. It's caused blowback from cyclists. "Fine, you want me to play in traffic, I'm going to start doing some dumb shit." I say this as a cyclist, I'm doing only 5 miles round trip but I do it every day. I see people blow red lights, weaving in and out of traffic, hopping onto the sidewalk, blast…

No they are kind being entitled dicks (and it will be 99.9% male offenders) - I did not ride like that in London in the 80's when there where less bikes on the road.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#157

Post by usrusr »

rubicon33 wrote: post #116
imgabe wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also bike. Don't give me a bike lane? That's fine, I'll take the middle of the traffic lane. Honk all you like, I'm not going to give you room to try and squeeze between me and the oncoming traffic while I risk getting doored. Cars can wait.

Good luck to you, it's a dangerous game you're playing. It just takes one idiot in a car who doesn't notice you because they're checking their instagram feed, or whatever, for your life to be over. I knew someone growing up who was a very successful banker. He had everything - 3 kids, a beautiful wife, amazing house, etc. Cycled to work every day. One day, someone didn't see him. Doctors managed to save his life but…

Happens to drivers all the time, but is not an interesting story because they did not do anything it of the norm to "deserve" it.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#158

Post by refurb »

imgabe wrote: post #138
rubicon33 wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good luck to you, it's a dangerous game you're playing. It just takes one idiot in a car who doesn't notice you because they're checking their instagram feed, or whatever, for your life to be over. I knew someone growing up who was a very successful banker. He had everything - 3 kids, a beautiful wife, amazing house, etc. Cycled to work every day. One day, someone didn't see him. Doctors managed to save his life but…

I also knew someone who was very successful and died too young leaving behind 3 kids, a beautiful wife, amazing house etc. (I'm not being flip, this is true). He died in a car accident. I'll take the relatively small risk of being hit while biking in exchange for the 100% chance of the very positive benefits (free exercise, no traffic, free parking). Driving has about the same risk of killing you and 100% chance of m…

You are 15 times more likely to be killed on Britain's roads if you ride a bike than if you drive a car.[1]

If you look at total deaths they may seem comparable to driving, but way more people drive than cycle.

Good on you for dedicating yourself to cycling, but you shouldn't ignore the increase in risk.

[1]https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cycle-safety...

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#159

Post by walshemj »

wafflesraccoon wrote: post #70
TylerE wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Start doing dumb shit? I've been seeing cyclist blow through stop signs for 30 years.

Personal anecdote, cyclists blow through stop signs because the infrastructure isn't built for bicycles. Having to come to a stop and then start up on a bicycle is the hardest part and cyclists hate it. Source: Commuting to work on a bicycle for years.

Buy a bike with gears then - and stop living out your velodrome fantasies on the road. Gears and proper brakes are good enough for pro road racers.

This is the weakest excuse I have heard for bad behaviour.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#160

Post by thfuran »

imgabe wrote: post #149
sgustard wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree it's convenient for the biker, but it's confusing for cars. As a driver making a 4-way stop I see a biker approaching from the side. I know he's planning to roll through the intersection. I can either wait for him (yielding my right of way) or take my turn (forcing him to make an unplanned stop). Meanwhile that indecision further disrupts the flow of traffic.

If it's your turn to go, go. Most likely the cyclist will slow enough for you to get through the intersection without having to make a full stop themselves. They know it's your turn to go and are expecting you to go. It only creates further confusion if you don't follow the rules that everyone knows.

> It only creates further confusion if you don't follow the rules that everyone knows.

Doesn't that seem like an argument for cyclists stopping at stop signs?

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