191–200 of 488 posts
Stand up scooters feel so unstable. Why not just add a seat and allow a seated scooter that’s foldable. The problem with last mile transport is that the laws in many countries need electric bikes to have peddles and peddle assistance. Just let people have a certain power and max speed and they will drop the car and replace it with a powered scooter. Aka, China.
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*Pedal. Some EU countries have already announced that scooters will soon be treated similarly to e-bikes, i.e. max 250W and 25km/h for the ones that don't need registration and plates. While more expensive and less portable, a bike is a lot safer and more versatile.
A bike is safer? Definitely need some citations for that. Versatility is debatable. I can fold my scooter and put it under my table at a restaurant or toss it into the trunk of a car. Scooters are also extremely low maintenance: no flat tires, no need to carry a pump or patch kit.
I live in Baltimore and these things have been awesome. Over the summer and early fall, I used them a lot for trips that were between 3-15 blocks. They were usually less than half the price of a Lyft, were fun to drive, don't directly use fossil fuels and were usually available (in one app or the other) within a block or two of my house. I used them to meet friends for brunch, to pick up my car from getting worked on…
Sorry if these are stupid questions, but isn't this a problem with Bird? I see random birds all over the place. Can someone explain why bikes can't be left around randomly like a bird can?
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"don't directly use fossil fuels" Looks like Maryland uses a significant amount of coal to power their grid, so is this even a good thing?
In computer science, we call this an "interface". Users can use energy without having to know it is generated, allowing the backend to be upgraded to a more efficient power source without users doing anything. Also, the argument you're making here is called "the long tailpipe" and has been debunked – it's still a win even if the grid has dirty energy because of efficiency gains.
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Yes, because in the long term electric vehicles consolidate fossil fuel emissions to a single large point (coal in this case) which can be eventually replaced with a clean energy source (i.e. solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, etc.).
Also coal powerplants run much more efficiently than a car engine.
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/5764...
Coal power plants operate in the range of 34% efficiency
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I could not be more upset that people who have stated progressive goals such as cutting down on fuel and providing cheap public transportation are against these. They are an absolutely great alternative that makes these goals possible without having to completely overhaul city designs. The only externality really seems to be they are parked in random places - but I don't see how that is any different than cars parked…
Cars park in designated spots on streets, they are (generally) not randomly dropped onto sidewalks and parks. The issue for me is the co-opting of public space for private enterprise in the least considerate way possible. People leave these scooters like litter in parks, sidewalks, and lakes. You could object that this is an overly precious perspective, but I would counter that similar startups (ZipCar most notably)…
Especially "the result for those of us who don't use them is garbage some random company(and individuals) feels entitled to clutter up the sidewalks(streets) with".
Also, what does private enterprises have to do with any of this? If anything I think there's a stronger argument the other way. Things that are owned by and only benefit a single person (e.g. driving my car and then leaving it parked on the street all day) is a worse use of space than things that are useful to many people (e.g. a Zipcar that gets frequent use, or, yes, scooters).
I hope you can recognize that your stated arguments here are not very honest, and that what you're actually saying is "I like privately owned cars so I want cities to prioritize them over other modes of transportation like scooters".
1. Consistently Well Working Bikes can be hard to find
2. I often use these to get from the residential part of Seattle to the urban parts for date night... it can be very difficult to find two of these near each other.
3. They really need some sort of limited reservation system. This would help mitigate the difficulty of getting multiple bikes.
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Privately owning a bike is not cost prohibitive, you know.
Privately owning a bike comes with a ton of hassles though. - I live in a 570ft studio so storage space is limited. We have bike storage in my building, but it's $15 a month. - If I go somewhere and bring the bike with me, I have to bring it back. If it starts raining, I can't just choose to leave the bike and take an Uber home. - If I'm on a bike and I meet up with people that aren't, coordinating travel is a huge p…
- I live in a 570ft studio so storage space is limited. We have bike storage in my building, but it's $15 a month.
Hang the bike up with a hook.
- If I go somewhere and bring the bike with me, I have to bring it back. If it starts raining, I can't just choose to leave the bike and take an Uber home.
They make clothes specifically to be worn in the rain. Getting a little wet won't hurt ya.
- I travel a lot and have been in 4 major cities this week. Having a bike at home helps there, but doesn't solve any problems in the other cities. Sharing services are great for visitors.
That, I agree! Goodness, that's a lot of traveling.
- Living in a major city, bike theft is a huge problem. By using shared bikes, I don't have to worry about that.
I must be lucky, because I've never had a bike stolen.
- On top of it all, Lime/Bird is just cheaper. I really only use one once every week or two. I've probably spent less that $30 this year on Lime/Bird. Even if I got a bike for free and it never needed any maintenance a decent U lock would cost more than that.
I guess I see the costs saving are from not owning a car. Haha, and I guess, not really needed a gym membership!
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Privately owning a bike is not cost prohibitive, you know.
The logistics can be challenging, though, especially in an urban area. You need a place to keep and lock up your bike everywhere you go, and [for many people] a way to transport your bike on public transit.
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Privately owning a bike is not cost prohibitive, you know.
It is when you have to figure out how to get the bike to the start of your last mile, deal with flat tyres, etc. With these scooters, you can take public transportation (keep in mind some systems don't allow bikes on their transit systems) to somewhere, then solve the last mile problem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_mile_(transportation) Not to mention $200+ to own a bike may not seem like a lot to you, but coul…
Compared to a car, it's very cheap.
Flat tires... hmm: I average about one a year, maybe. It's not the biggest deal.
Are flat tires really that big of a barrier to entry?