With rising petrol prices and environmental concerns, e-scooters are quickly growing in popularity. But as legislation lags are they really an appropriate form of transport, should we embrace them or are they a menace and if they are more trouble than they're worth, should they be banned or what ??


BBC News - E-Scooter rider sentenced over womens death

The Guardian - Australia's E-Scooter debate gains speed but the rules are a mess

Bee Smart City - E-Scooters a collision between innovation & controversy

I think they're great, I frequently rent them in cities over here and abroad, always riding on the road or cycle lanes, never the pavement.

Accidents will always happen, whether on an eScooter, bike, skateboard etc. but in this country at least they are already restricted to 25 km/h, 500 watt motor and prohibited for <14 year olds. So I'd hate to see knee jerk regulation to get them banned.

I just don‘t get it. Why not just walk

Pedestrian zones should be pedestrian zones.

Of course, if you know your scooter and ride on areas you know, it should be fine (at least the hazard is comparable to a bicycle).

However, hope capitalism does its thing and rental e-scooters from mobility companies are gone soon. Worst combination is a tourist that ignores local conditions riding an unknown machine:

https://news.crunchbase.com/transpor...ket-lime-brds/

as someone who has been knocked over (straight backwards, head hit a bench) when driver lost control and came straight at me, I loath them, not to mention how clusters of parked scooters block the pavement I gathered my wits quickly (once I got off the pavement) and gave the lad a firm but almost friendly reminder how it might have ended much worse for both of us (1 in a coma possible brain damage, other with liability)

Those under the age limit seem pretty agile with their payment cards and apps, use them anyway.

A minimum requirement to be in possession of a provisional driving license seems reasonable (eg UK) Perhaps there will be a license developed specifically for e-scooters? motivation to drive a car might be fading.

Really?

https://www.iamexpat.ch/expat-info/s...d-swiss-police

https://www.worldradio.ch/news/bites...-too-powerful/

https://www.tellerreport.com/life/20...1WAH_Yaic.html

I think the main problem is the rules though. Any vehicle that can go faster than 5kmh should be restricted to road use only and not allowed on pavements/walkways. Special lanes like some bike lanes alongside pedestrian walkways you see could also be used, but that's it. But as we know already people can and will break any rules if they feel like it. Not much you can do about stupid.

Electric scooters are annoying, the way they are parked (or better: just left) on any random location is annoying and the people that use them seem to be annoying.

Apart from that, they're fine.

I loathe them for the following reasons:

*They are inherently dangerous due to the small wheel size and braking capabilties. One unobvious pothole and you'll face plant.
*The are too fast for the footpath and two slow for the street.
*for share access, public bikes are better and safer.
*So many people ride them 2-up, which is also illegal.
*I've been overtaken uphill (whilst on a 25km/h e-bike) by tuned models. Highly illegal, and can ruin you if you injure or kill someone.

Because I'm not capable of 25 km/h

I've found them handy, especially when abroad in other cities and not wanting to take a taxi. I think the last time I used one was in Hamburg as I arrived late at night and the train station to the hotel was 20 minutes walk and I just wanted to get into a bed.

If they follow the rules of the road I don't see an issue with them.

Indeed, it's thing to use on the road. Not pedestrian zones, not train station platforms, no pavement/sidewalk.

Not hard to use the thingies like a bicycle. Never seen someone riding a bicycle on a train platform where an IC passes through at 100+ km/h. But, people rides scooters there.

I've had a few near misses with e-scooters whilst walking on the pavement. Either been surprised from behind or some dickhead has come flying around a blind corner.

I've also seen a few accidents - two where pedestrians were hit and one where the scooter ran into a car.

There seems to be a reckless approach to using them. Either people are in a hurry so they grab a scooter so they can cover distance as fast as possible or they are inexperienced or just simply unaware of their surroundings. Sometimes you see them with two people riding the same scooter. Colliding with that at 25 km/h as a pedestrian is NOT going to end well.

I thought it was just me that didn't like them because whenever I've mentioned it (office, with friends or whatever) most people just shrug and say they're a good idea. I think they need some proper regulation.

Oh and while I'm on the rant - people just dump them wherever they want, even if it's in the middle of the path or the entrance to a driveway. Or at the bottom of the lake.

Personally I think all E-Scooters should be licensed by those that buy them so in the event of accidents, damage or personal injury, the owner cannot simply run away on his scooter or abandon their scooter in the hope they will not be caught, there has to be liability & responsibility by those that use them.

This inevitably means that e-scooter users must be insured and must as a minimum hold a Provisional Driving License - they should be encouraged or even obliged to take an 'e-scooter road sense' course or 'rules of the road' course' as they're simply too fast & too dangerous to be used on pavements and walkways, meaning they will have to drive on the road but not fast dual carriageways or motorways.
The usual health & safety requirements will also have to be adhered to, namely must wear a helmet and only one person mounted
on the E-Scooter and of course lights ( which some e-scooter manufacturers have on the latest e-scooters already )

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Surely the time has come for Boris to 'circle the wagons' for a bit of herd immunity ?

But they don't usually, at least not what I saw in Zurich lately. Worse than bike couriers. Plus half the people don't seem to be able to properly control these things, and of course the scooters are horrible unstable to start with. From a car driver's perspective, higher chance of an accident with a scooter than a bike. From a cyclist's perspective, same and they are annoying on the bike lane.

Oh yeah, and from a scooter user perspective, on the few occasions I wanted to use one, good chance the payment did not work or the thing was out of order.

I hate them.

Only problem is that Most roads, except the autobahns where scooters are not allowed anyway, in this country have no shoulders or break down lanes. One scooter or bike on a country road can easily cause 50+ cars to drive behind it while each car hs to wait for a single break in traffic to pass. Happens in AG daily. Then there are the idiots who drive em. Most have never even driven a car. Once while looking left, waiting to enter a circle, when there was finally a break in traffic and I was about to give gas, I luckily noticed that some kid on a moped was in the meantime blocking my car on the right.
So my answer is don't mix scooters, ebikes, mopeds with cars. It's just asking for trouble.

So I guess you have a problem with bicycles too?

You're quite entitled, aren't you? You're not in the U.S. now.

As usual, communication problems. This is an e-scooter in ZH:

Great picture that illustrates why these things are totally unsafe. 50 cm wheelbase with center of gravity one meter above.

Exactly. I can watch this video for days
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq7cr0WX9SA

In this argument you need to add tractors. At least bikes and scooters can be overtaken with relative ease. Being stuck behind Urs and his gigantic Fendt dragging his dung-based fertiliser is more nerving.