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The Rise of the Electric Scooter

blog.codinghorror.com

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Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#281

Post by burmer »

monksy wrote: post #183
samsolomon wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have the Jump e-bikes here in Atlanta, and I also prefer them to scooters. There are a lot of old roads and sidewalks with cracks that make riding a scooter can be dangerous. With the small wheels, you really have to pay attention to the road ahead of you. Unfortunately, I received an email earlier this month that Jump is pulling all the e-bikes from the city. I wonder if operating costs or cost fo replacement mak…

Get off the sidewalk. https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/starting-today-you-...

That pronouncement (in the article) seems a little harsh on people in wheelchairs...

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#282

Post by adrianN »

DanBC wrote: post #178
ProfessorLayton wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, but that .5mi "10 minute walk" tuns into 20 minutes both ways, adding tons of time (as a % of commute) to the door-to-door travel times.

That's not wasted time though, is it? It's a chance for a bit of exercise, a bit of shopping, to see your local communities.

Riding a kick scooter is pretty good exercise too.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#283

Post by adrianN »

Blackstone4 wrote: post #107
Zenst wrote: post #80

Here in the UK they are illegal (unless used on private land), which is sad as whilst they are illegal as technically a motor vehicle, needing some form of test, insurance, mot.... That has not happened and in limbo as clearly a need for some standards control etc, but an unwillingness to address that and more so a periodic fashion stopping of people upon such vehicles in an apathetic way that causes many to get one,…

I agree that it’s sad that e-scooters are banned in the UK. I take the train to work and I have ~20mins of waking either end (1 hr 20 mins per day total). An electric scooter could save me ~40 mins per day.... Why are electric scooters banned when e-bikes are fine? What if they were capped at 20mph? Below the 25 for bikes

You could always get a non-electric kick scooter. Not quite as fast as the electric version, but faster than walking.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#284

Post by josephpmay »

journalctl wrote: post #271
6gvONxR4sf7o wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that the case in the winter too? I just started bike commuting in SF and have been wondering how it works in bike oriented colder countries when it starts raining/snowing.

Places with good bike infrastructure take care of it (e.g. plowing).

but it's still cold as fuck

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#285

Post by CarVac »

umvi wrote: post #176
eldenbishop wrote: post #38

I rode a non-electric kick scooter (Xootr) for three years working in downtown SF. It is by far the best form of transitional transport there is and superior to bikes for 99% of actual real world travel. It was easily 4-5 times faster than walking and more importantly suddenly made the entire city open due to how insanely efficient it was for "glueing" together various forms of public transport. I could hop from tran…

> It was easily 4-5 times faster than walking I can walk a mile in 20 minutes which is 3 mph. This implies these scooters can maintain 12-15 mph? Am I just underestimating how fast you can get going on these things? That seems kind of fast unless you are going downhill both ways.

The Xootr in particular glides really really well.

If you're used to the cheapo Razor scooters, it's worlds apart, even from the larger-wheeled Razor A5.

The relative speed depends on the terrain. If you're on concrete sidewalks, like I am, I'd say it's 3x faster. If you're on asphalt, then 4x is reasonable. Downhill, 5x easily.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#286

Post by CarVac »

WillPostForFood wrote: post #219
com2kid wrote: post #87

I am amused this is still a topic of discussion in America. Visit China sometime, electric motor scooters (larger than the kids versions we have here[1]) and motorbikes are everywhere, the large majority of small vehicles on the road there are now electric. It is super nice, the streets are far cleaner and quieter than just a few years ago. One huge benefit China has is an existing infrastructure for smaller vehicles…

the large majority of small vehicles on the road there are now electric. Maybe in some parts of China like Shenzhen that are mandating it, but gas powered cars are still outselling electric cars 25 to 1 in China, so it will be a long time before electric cars make up a majority.

>small vehicles

There are far more electric scooters on the road than there are cars.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#287

Post by journalctl »

josephpmay wrote: post #284
journalctl wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Places with good bike infrastructure take care of it (e.g. plowing).

but it's still cold as fuck

Well sure. I mean, bundling up is possible, just ask anyone in Chicago. My hunch is that places with healthy bike infrastructure are also dense enough to make most trips short, minimizing time spent outside.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#288

Post by dingsbumps »

e40 wrote: post #258
robbrown451 wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a reasonable rule might be that you can ride them on sidewalks as long as you stay at least 25 feet from pedestrians. So basically if the sidewalk is empty, go for it. It might mean taking the side streets rather than the main ones, but that's ok. I don't think these things coexist well with cars either. (nor do bikes, which is why I don't ride a bike in the city) Pedestrians need to be aware of their surroun…

I think a reasonable rule might be that you can ride them on sidewalks as long as you stay at least 25 feet from pedestrians. So basically if the sidewalk is empty, go for it. It might mean taking the side streets rather than the main ones, but that's ok. Nope: I once saved a kid from serious harm. I was waiting for my kid to come out of a martial arts test and I was waiting outside on the sidewalk. There was a class…

Your anecdotes support the idea that it's hard for multiple modes of transportation with different travel speeds to coexist in the same space. When I cycle, I try to never ride on a sidewalk, because it's unpleasant both for me as a rider and for pedestrians.

In a perfect world, we would have separate infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists/scooters, and cars -- but our cities aren't laid out that way. Instead, most of the time, we devote huge tracts of land to cars, and force everyone else to share the scraps.

Where should the cyclists in your anecdote be riding? What speed do cars in the lanes nearby travel, and how aware are they of other road users?

The conversation can be very different from city to city, but in most places in America, sharing the road with cars means risking serious injury or death

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#289

Post by 0xfaded »

scarejunba wrote: post #198
Symbiote wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Copenhagen it's often the opposite: the rest of the group came by bike, they're within 20m of the current bar, the person on foot will have to turn up later. Or we all walk. (Also, the suburban trains and taxis carry bikes for free.)

What's bike theft like in Copenhagen? I have two bikes but I drive to brunch because I'm afraid of losing my bike to a thief and parking is easier to deal with than having to carry my lock.

Most bikes are beaters and wouldn't be worth stealing for it's value, although I've been told every Dane has stolen a bike once in their life when in need of transport.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#290

Post by city41 »

closetohome wrote: post #134
mips_avatar wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's why you need bigger better wheels. I agree that going above 15 on a Xiaomi scooter is terrifying, but on the Boosted Rev, it's smooth as butter.

> That's why you need bigger better wheels Or just one big one! https://onewheel.com I switched to one of these after having a few too many wipeouts on a longboard. It's been fantastic.

Onewheels are better than scooters in every way ... except price.
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