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Europe’s politicians are dEsPeRaTe to tackle e-scooters, why aren’t they bothered by monster SUVs?
(www.transportenvironment.org)
this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2023
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In Portugal, e-scooters had to be severely regulated as many gruesome and bloody accidents happened because their users entered high speed ways, heavily modified the scooters to achieve over 80km/h speeds, were left abandoned by users of rental services everywhere, invaded sidewalks and endangered pedestrians or public transports lanes.
The ever growing size of cars is a worthy cause of worry: I drive a Ford Ranger for professional reasons and the vehicle is ridiculously cumbersome, wide and clumsy for the roads I have to use. Lawmakers need to cull the auto makers arms race on bulky vehicles.
But lets not overlook that e-scooters are a very big source of traffic accidents by themselves and let this micromobility solution run amok.
Are escooters a "very big source of traffic accidents"? I'm sure there have been crashes and there should be regulations, but are these crashes just much more publicised than car crashes and that's why you think there's been a lot?
I have a national entity that collects and processes such data and elaborates the statistics.
Just out of sheer number, car accidents have to be more numerous: more cars, more accidents.
But car related accidents do not have to be fatal by default, or bring severe bodily damage to passengers and bystanders.
escooters have no protection neither for the user nor bystanders, with the added risk factor that a gross number of the users of these scooters invade, willingly, walkways and other reserved lanes, with often serious consequences.
escooters brought an entire new pletora of problems
No, I would argue that e-scooters simply exposed the existing problems in our infrastructure today. As I said in another comment I prefer ebikes to e-scooters by A LOT but people should not be forced to ride 80 fucking km/h SCOOTERS just to get where they are going. It doesn't happen when there is accessible and affordable transit.
And in cities, pedestrians and bikes (sure scooters too) need to be separated as well. Cities have haphazardly thrown e scooter rentals out there, not thinking about the fact that there is absolutely no infrastructure to support it, and so people are claiming it's the scooters fault for the city failing to build anything that actually supports these services, and more broadly, failing to build anything that supports alternative modes of transport.
Sometimes, Even when drivers leave the road, scooters/bikers/pedestrians somehow get blamed for being too close to a road. It just comes down to what it's always come down to:
Buy a fucking car or get blamed for everything cause you didn't buy a car.
Let's part the waters.
These are considered for all purposes motor vehicles and can use as such any road, except for highways. These even have an incentive for adoption, being exempt of some taxes.
Riding these in a city and getting into an accident follows the same rules; a car hitting one is pretty much screwed, as these vehicles do not have the same defensive capabilities as a car. The average car drivers respects and gives room to these vehicles.
The only blatant flaw for better acommodating these vehicles is the lack of reserved parking spaces, which forces many drivers to occupy sidewalks just like what happens with conventional scooters, and most people understands and tolerates.
By comparison, these have quickly become the bane of safe travelling for all because whoever uses these tends to think is better or smarter than anyone else.
These were originally considered equivalent to a bicycle and as such could use those lanes as well as common roads, observing the same traffic regulations (keep to the right, no more than two bicycles side by side, wear helmet, etc). And bycicle accidents are not rampant.
Unlike those contraptions that are constantly seen invading sidewalks and other pedestrian reserved areas and endangering people and animals. There have been several sightings of these machines doing 110km/h in highways; those people are reckless and stupid. Rentals are often abandoned anywhere and everywhere. Users of these often swerve in front or between traffic, invade BUS lanes and endanger themselves and others.
Accomodate these any more? How about some basic civility?
If you're sitting its a motorbike. If you're pedaling and it's under a certain wattage it's an ebikes. If you're standing and throttling it's an e-scooter. I'm not talking about electric mopeds/moyorcycles. E scooters are only acceptable when they're limited to ~25km/h IMO, but ebikes are still preferable. I'm not saying people should be going 100km/h on a scooter, you're misconstruing it. I'm arguing that the fact that those people are resorting to using 100km/h death machines signals a problem in infrastructure and alternate modes of transport.
These machines being tinkered with and heavily modified happens almost exclusevely in urban areas where good public transportation already exists.
Every article I've read usually boils down to thrills, a hollow sense of being against the system or just disrespect for the place because tourist.
Even giving all the wiggle room for bad reporting, it feels something is very wrong with this particular mode of transportation, in that setting.
I live in a rural area, with essentially no public transportation, and these alternatives have been growing in popularity with no issues. Even the older folks get intrigued and often strike up conversations with the people using it.
The Ranger used to be decently small, for a truck. Not truly tiny like a VW Rabbit Pickup or whatever, but decent.
It's the first time I drive one. In my private life I drive either hatchbacks or station wagons (because dogs) which handle and are built very differently.