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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

#301

Post by wpietri »

cycrutchfield wrote: post #298
wpietri wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell me, step by step, how you think I will politely but effectively call out somebody going by me at 15-20 mph. Use diagrams if you need.

Use your voice

Having just recently experienced this, at 15-20 mph he was well out of easy speech range before I fully realized what had happened, let alone had composed a reasonably polite thing to say.

20 mph is 30 feet per second, and this yahoo brushed my back as I was talking to someone. 5 seconds to turn, understand, and start talking isn't unreasonable. If you can politely get the attention of somebody 150 feet away and receding rapidly using your voice, I'd sure like to see it.

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

#302

Post by wpietri »

wild_preference wrote: post #295
wpietri wrote: post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no particular reason for me to think casual app-based renters will ever learn this etiquette, especially given the high tourist density in SF. And regardless, if etiquette is needed for safe and effective sharing of the sidewalks, it's up to these scooter companies to make sure that etiquette training happens before they accept money and turn somebody loose. Otherwise it's classic "privatize the gains and so…

Well, it's not much different than cars then where people drive foolishly all the time and there aren't enough cops to catch them all. For example, I almost never see people reserve the passing lane for going fast or passing which is dangerous. People almost never use blinkers. Except, unlike scooters, they are driving vehicles that weigh two tons and are going 65+ mph. And they even require licenses. So that's a pre…

The difference is that people aren't driving cars at 65 mph down the sidewalk. Or even 15-20 mph. Or at all. Because it's illegal and somebody could easily lose their license for it. So if you're saying we should make it not much different than cars in the sense that it's illegal, that's fine by me.

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

#303

Post by ndnxhs »

justchilly wrote: post #179
the_watcher wrote: post #6

I used Bird, Lime, Lyft, and Jump scooters over the weekend in LA and they were great for getting around when I'd have otherwise considered driving (over a 45 minute walk). I tried a Skip scooter again when I got back to SF, and once again, it simply could not handle a minor (for SF) hill. I don't know what the solution is, since it seems like a bad idea to power them more to handle hills given the dangers that would…

The old Bird and Lime scooters had 250W motors. The new Skip scooters have 350W (plus suspension which is nice). The skips can get to a walking pace up to ~10% grade, but grind to a halt anywhere near Nob/Russian Hill. You need at least 750W to do the trick. They also all have just a single break, which makes going down those hills dangerous.

I have a 250w ebike and I have powered up slopes so steep I have to put my chin on the handlebars to keep the front wheel on the ground. Power isn't the issue. Its just piss weak motors.

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

#304

Post by ndnxhs »

cosmotron wrote: post #63
qudat wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. Bike lanes are extremely dangerous for cyclists and the current implementation of bike lanes in this country are really just big automobile lanes. It puts all the risk on the cyclist. I have had numerous friends get hit and run while riding bikes on bike lanes, most recently a friend died from it. I'll happily receive any citations for riding my bike or e-scooter on the sidewalk, and take full responsibil…

I don't think you're making a very compelling justification for bicycling on sidewalks. Your statistic regarding UK pedestrians being killed/hit vs bicyclists being killed/hit isn't strong as it's probable that nowhere near as many bicyclists choose to ride on the sidewalk as compared to staying in bike lanes and roads. That is, if more bicyclists opted to ride on sidewalks, the incident rate would certainly increase…

In south Australia its legal to ride a bike on the sidewalk and every time I have seen someone do it they have done it safely and respectfully. There are some streets that are just too dangerous to ride on and hardly anyone ever walks on the sidewalk.

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

#305

Post by ndnxhs »

rootusrootus wrote: post #174
matchbok wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google: auto vehicle deaths per DAY

That seems kinda pointless. How many vehicle-miles are driven every day in a car versus on a scooter?

Even accounting for that the fact is cars are massively more unsafe than scooters. Are you trying to say that being hit by a scooter at 20km/h is just as dangerous as being hit by a monstrous block of metal moving at 60km/h

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

#306

Post by type-2 »

baybal2 wrote: post #252
rootsudo wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is the unlock code unique, or the same for that specific bluetooth serial number?

If Spin is indeed just a rebadged Liubike (which itself is a rebadged Xiaomi (which itself is rebadged Aima in custom bodywork,)) then it will be md5 + counter

wait a minute. So who's the actual manufacturer? I went to aimatech.net but I could not find the kickscooter among their products.

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

#307

Post by imtringued »

quantum_magpie wrote: post #229
edaemon wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bike lanes aren't great, nor are they a separate space -- they're in the street.

Not proper ones. Real bike lanes in bike-able cities have a small curb separating them from the street and then another one to separate from the sidewalk.

When a bike lane is separated from the street they are called bike paths. [0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bike_path

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

#308

Post by imtringued »

tommoor wrote: post #286
edaemon wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a better, albeit more difficult and expensive solution, would be to implement space for scooters and things like them. In the US we only have two spaces: the sidewalk and the street. Adding a third space for bikes, scooters, and other small personal vehicles would go a long way to promote safety and efficiency.

I propose "MiMo" lanes (Micro mobility)

Now this makes me wonder if we could install some sort of rail on viaducts and ride that with a bicycle...

Something like this but with a much smaller gap between the rails: https://hackaday.com/2012/05/01/rail-bike-conversion-is-a-su...

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

#309

Post by baybal2 »

type-2 wrote: post #306
baybal2 wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Spin is indeed just a rebadged Liubike (which itself is a rebadged Xiaomi (which itself is rebadged Aima in custom bodywork,)) then it will be md5 + counter

wait a minute. So who's the actual manufacturer? I went to aimatech.net but I could not find the kickscooter among their products.

The original chassis is definitely made on Aima's factories for sure. There are tons of kickscooters similar to Xiaomi's, and different only in bodywork, and it's rumoured that OEM is Aima. This is true for a lion share of all scooter sharing companies.

Liubike is a scooter sharing company from Zhejiang. They originally developed a sharing solution based on Xiaomi kick scooters, but later switched to proper electric mopeds. Liubike, then resold the OEM "platform solution" to other companies, but still runs an own sharing business in smaller towns in Zhejiang.

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

#310

Post by mikepurvis »

wpietri wrote: post #290
mikepurvis wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine how cyclists have felt for decades every time there's been a discussion about turning the free parking into a bike lane...

That's a poor comparison. Bike lanes are for public use; the space may change purpose, but it's still public. Companies scattering their privately owned rental gear on public space is a taking of that space.

Oh yeah, bike lanes are definitely for public use! It's the free parking that isn't— that's the one that's private individuals demanding the ongoing right to take up valuable public space by dumping their private property on it for hours at a time.
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