This really has nothing to do with signs, thus why it's in 'general chit-chat.........................................................................

[Gino]

Something I've been noticing around my area and spreading quite rapidly is the use of electric bicycles and scooter. It's been going on for a few years, but seems to have gotten outta hand in the last year or so. There're kids darting in & outta traffic all over the place. Running stop signs, traffic lights, driving out between parked vehicles and it's mostly around the main city lines. Sometimes I hafta go in town for things and it's worse than I remember. Not only is it dangerous, but most of these ding-dongs practically dare ya with their stares. What would happen if ya ran over one of their bicycles if they left it unattended and it got mangled ?? That's a lotta money to lose.

Just wondering if this is happening all over the place and not just here ??

 

[Humble PM]

What would happen if ya ran over one of their bicycles if they left it unattended and it got mangled ?? That's a lotta money to lose.

If you were unlucky, a mangled lithium battery catches fire while the bike frame is caught up in your vehicle.

London is flooded with the damned things, and it's not just the youth who ride without a thought, but regular people on the rental bikes not knowing the first thing about the rules and etiquette of the road and footpath.

 

[Johnny Best]

Yes, Reading is the only place where this electric bike thing is going on.

 

[myront]

Holy crap! I noticed this too. This is the first summer I've seen a lot of kids outside. That's great but, yeah, these scooters & bikes are all over the place now. And they're pretty fast. And, yes, I've encountered numerous times they've shown no regard for traffic. They'll ride right down the center of the lane with cars waiting behind them to pass. Interesting enough, the wife had just saw a post on Facebook from our local city police that showed a poster explaining the proper operating procedures of the scooters & bikes and how to co-mingle with actual car traffic. Coincidence or have hey noticed too.

 

[ikarasu]

Uber and a few other companies leave thousands of electric bikes for rent in major cities downtown cores...and it's started to spread to semi-major cities/suburbs as well. Our downtown area has over 100 bikes - Anyone, of any age with an uber app can rent a bike or scooter for $5... Then they just hope off and leave it at their destrination for the next person.

You get people who have never driven a bike on the road, let alone an electric bike using them... And theyre fast.

I've almost smoked idiots on them a few times - If you're in a vehicle that goes twice as fast, or sometimes more... you should need a license, even if its just a basic "Yes they took this course" license.

We've been dealing with it for years, but this summer I've noticed a bunch of 10-13 year olds riding on them now as well...

 

[Boudica]

They are everywhere. Our city contracts with a company called Lime scooters. They sprinkle them all over town for people to rent, then those people just leave them at their destination. One problem is that the scooters are left in stupid places blocking sidewalks and wheelchair ramps. Every year a few of them end up in the river.

 

[caribmike]

They are everywhere! I had a dirt bike when I was a kid but I was only allowed to ride it on the road to get to the field!

 

[GAC05]

Same here, parked in random places all over the island. Funny part is I've hardly ever seen them moving on the streets. Guess I'm not commuting when people are scooting.

 

[mfatty500]

We had a kid crash into a car, here in the south suburbs of Chicago, they had to airlift him to a Trauma Center, the kid on the scooter ran a stop sign. He is 13 years old. It's horrible in my subdivision also. Kids a little as 7 sometimes riding two-up on one of those things.

 

[Stacey K]

Yes, lots of them around here too in the city. Many people in the pits at the racetracks around here have electric scooters now too. You really have to watch where you are walking. My friend had one because he lost his license and he would go to the minimart and buy a case a beer and set his little kid on the case of beer and come to our house...it worked I guess LOL

 

[Solventinkjet]

Denver was an early adopter and they've been here for years. The beginning was horrible. They put them wherever they felt like. Found one in my parking space at home and chucked it. Over the years the city has done well to regulate where they can put them but the people who ride them seem to have a death wish.

 

[RabidOne]

Local School District here banned them on their property, the non politically correct version of the reasoning is "the kids are idiots and someone will get killed"

 

[Jester]

Many people in the pits at the racetracks around here have electric scooters now too. You really have to watch where you are walking.

After a couple of accidents injured the riders and pedestrians, the professional and semipro race meets we attend have banned two-wheel scooters in the pits.

The private ones are everywhere in our suburban community, especially now that kids are out of school for summer break. Many appear to be going faster than the 25mph(?) limit for unlicensed "mopeds". There are all kinds of performance parts available online, such as high horsepower electric motors and higher voltage batteries.

At that age kids haven't gained the experience / perception to realize how close their speed and proximity to cars puts them to a serious accident. As cars have gotten better and quieter, people in cars speed without any idea of how fast they are really going. I'm holding my breath hoping we don't have a major injury to someone's kid.

We aren't in the main metro, so there is not a slew of rental scooters. I have seen them in the resort areas we've visited.

 

[dypinc]

Something I've been noticing around my area and spreading quite rapidly is the use of electric bicycles and scooter. It's been going on for a few years, but seems to have gotten outta hand in the last year or so. There're kids darting in & outta traffic all over the place. Running stop signs, traffic lights, driving out between parked vehicles and it's mostly around the main city lines. Sometimes I hafta go in town for things and it's worse than I remember. Not only is it dangerous, but most of these ding-dongs practically dare ya with their stares. What would happen if ya ran over one of their bicycles if they left it unattended and it got mangled ?? That's a lotta money to lose.

Just wondering if this is happening all over the place and not just here ??

Are you talking about the eBike Amish. We have big problem with that in our area.

 

[netsol]

i heard Kathy Hochul say it was safer in new york because these unlicensed ebikes and scooters could "keep up with traffic"

this was her justification for NOT licensing scooters

 

[Eforcer]

Something I've been noticing around my area and spreading quite rapidly is the use of electric bicycles and scooter. It's been going on for a few years, but seems to have gotten outta hand in the last year or so. There're kids darting in & outta traffic all over the place. Running stop signs, traffic lights, driving out between parked vehicles and it's mostly around the main city lines. Sometimes I hafta go in town for things and it's worse than I remember. Not only is it dangerous, but most of these ding-dongs practically dare ya with their stares. What would happen if ya ran over one of their bicycles if they left it unattended and it got mangled ?? That's a lotta money to lose.

Just wondering if this is happening all over the place and not just here ??

I've had four lined up by my store. Customers had an obstacle to walked through. Called the the company LIME to get an answer for anyone getting hurt whiile they are parked by my store. QUOTE: That is an insurance question. So I will have to go through my insurance to cover the incidents. I told them make sure they are picked up sameday! She responded with, are you going to damaged the bikses?

 

[Eforcer]

Uber and a few other companies leave thousands of electric bikes for rent in major cities downtown cores...and it's started to spread to semi-major cities/suburbs as well. Our downtown area has over 100 bikes - Anyone, of any age with an uber app can rent a bike or scooter for $5... Then they just hope off and leave it at their destrination for the next person.

You get people who have never driven a bike on the road, let alone an electric bike using them... And theyre fast.

I've almost smoked idiots on them a few times - If you're in a vehicle that goes twice as fast, or sometimes more... you should need a license, even if its just a basic "Yes they took this course" license.

We've been dealing with it for years, but this summer I've noticed a bunch of 10-13 year olds riding on them now as well...

How many close calls I've had with them dodging thru vehicles, and because you are behind the wheel and hit one. Responsiblity falls on you. Unless you have a video you are SOL.

 

[DL Signs]

They have their place, they can be handy in town for short commutes to work, store, etc. As long as people ride them like they're supposed to there wouldn't be a problem, but most ride like a$$holes. I live in a very small town (abt 4,000), we don't have any of the public share ones, but they're still becoming a problem.

The biggest issue I have is parents buying those damn things for kids instead of a regular bicycle. Nothing worse than seeing a young kid riding out in traffic at 30-40mph on one of them. Personally, I think they should require a drivers license with a motorcycle endorsement, registration, insurance, the works, just like any other powered vehicle. Some of those can go 50+mph, I don't know how they can get away with having zero responsibility for safe operation or following laws... There's one kid I see regularly that at least stays on the sidewalk, but he'll pass cars in a 35 zone like they're standing still, flies across cross streets without looking. Kid can't be more than 7-9 years old. It's just death looking for a place to happen. Would you buy one for your kid?

 

[Stacey K]

They have their place, they can be handy in town for short commutes to work, store, etc. As long as people ride them like they're supposed to there wouldn't be a problem, but most ride like a$$holes. I live in a very small town (abt 4,000), we don't have any of the public share ones, but they're still becoming a problem.

The biggest issue I have is parents buying those damn things for kids instead of a regular bicycle. Nothing worse than seeing a young kid riding out in traffic at 30-40mph on one of them. Personally, I think they should require a drivers license with a motorcycle endorsement, registration, insurance, the works, just like any other powered vehicle. Some of those can go 50+mph, I don't know how they can get away with having zero responsibility for safe operation or following laws... There's one kid I see regularly that at least stays on the sidewalk, but he'll pass cars in a 35 zone like they're standing still, flies across cross streets without looking. Kid can't be more than 7-9 years old. It's just death looking for a place to happen. Would you buy one for your kid?

And let me guess no helmet...going 35+

My old town was the same size, no public transport. They did allow 4 wheelers on the street last year but they had to abide by the traffic laws. Strangely, I never saw anyone being an idiot.

 

[DL Signs]

And let me guess no helmet...going 35+

My old town was the same size, no public transport. They did allow 4 wheelers on the street last year but they had to abide by the traffic laws. Strangely, I never saw anyone being an idiot.

Nope, no helmet, saw him once with another kid on it too... We have bike lanes, but he uses the sidewalk. Just waiting for someone to pull up to a stop sign as he's flying across the side streets and get nailed. Heck, we just had a guy die on a Harley in town last week that got T-boned at an intersection from someone doing a quick "almost stop" and going.

We can run ATV's/ UTV's, etc on the streets in our town too, and surprisingly they really behave. Of course they have to be registered, insured, and have a licensed driver, so misbehaving will cost as much as it does in a car. Plus they don't want to lose that privilege so they police each other. Those bikes though, there's really no deterrent for them.