As a pedestrian on a pavement I have a greater issue with scooters than cars. Especially where I live there are a lot, and they don’t care about the 6km speed limit on the pavement (neither do cyclists however). Since scooters are often rental ones, they are thrown in bushes, rivers etc. Bicycles are often personal items, so they don’t get strewn around, and the rentals have specific parking spots.
Primarily the rules should be enforced better and traffic rules should be taught better/at a younger age. But I think scooters are easier to misuse than bicycles or cars. Also, motorists need formal training, while scooters can be used by people without a license. There are lot of young teenagers using them here.
Many motorists here are dicks here too though, but they mostly are only a concern when I cross a street. So I wouldn’t say less or more, but many scooterists invade a space that is reserved for pedestrians. Maybe scooters need some low entry training or something.
The problem you’re describing sounds more like an issue with space allocation. You mention that motorists are only an issue when you cross the street. Have you ever thought about the ratio of the space allocated to lanes for cars versus the space allocated to everyone else? It sounds like city planners over the years have allocated a far too large a portion of public space to cars, forcing pedestrians and scooters, among others, to compete over what’s left.
I work as a city planner, and experience this constantly. The space allocated to cars makes everyone else fight and compete over the small share that’s left, and none asks why we aren’t all demanding that space be reallocated from cars to other modes of transport instead of cramming everybody in the pedestrian pathways.
If there was space available in a separated bike lane, most scooters would likely prefer riding there instead of on the pavement. But if they have to share the space with 2 ton steel projectiles, then most take their chances with the pedestrians. It’s all a question of what a municipality chooses to prioritize when it comes to allocating public space.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for low traffic cities.
I think it is rather other than space allocation, though. (Broad) cycling lanes are rapidly increasing, and pavements are generally broad (like roads). Space allocation could be improved upon, but I believe it far from the main cause.
Specifically for scooters, it is part behaviour and part consequence of easy access to heavy scooters. I don’t think scooters are in-and-of-themselves a problematic transport method, I think rental scooters are.
At the same time it is worth to consider the downsides of certain modes of transportation, instead of only comparing them to cars and their infrastructure. I just don’t think the discussion needs to be a what-aboutism. Especially considering the lack for some formal training, making many of the users of scooters a hazard for others and themselves.
As a pedestrian on a pavement I have a greater issue with scooters than cars. Especially where I live there are a lot, and they don’t care about the 6km speed limit on the pavement (neither do cyclists however). Since scooters are often rental ones, they are thrown in bushes, rivers etc. Bicycles are often personal items, so they don’t get strewn around, and the rentals have specific parking spots.
Primarily the rules should be enforced better and traffic rules should be taught better/at a younger age. But I think scooters are easier to misuse than bicycles or cars. Also, motorists need formal training, while scooters can be used by people without a license. There are lot of young teenagers using them here.
Many motorists here are dicks here too though, but they mostly are only a concern when I cross a street. So I wouldn’t say less or more, but many scooterists invade a space that is reserved for pedestrians. Maybe scooters need some low entry training or something.
The problem you’re describing sounds more like an issue with space allocation. You mention that motorists are only an issue when you cross the street. Have you ever thought about the ratio of the space allocated to lanes for cars versus the space allocated to everyone else? It sounds like city planners over the years have allocated a far too large a portion of public space to cars, forcing pedestrians and scooters, among others, to compete over what’s left.
I work as a city planner, and experience this constantly. The space allocated to cars makes everyone else fight and compete over the small share that’s left, and none asks why we aren’t all demanding that space be reallocated from cars to other modes of transport instead of cramming everybody in the pedestrian pathways.
If there was space available in a separated bike lane, most scooters would likely prefer riding there instead of on the pavement. But if they have to share the space with 2 ton steel projectiles, then most take their chances with the pedestrians. It’s all a question of what a municipality chooses to prioritize when it comes to allocating public space.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for low traffic cities.
I think it is rather other than space allocation, though. (Broad) cycling lanes are rapidly increasing, and pavements are generally broad (like roads). Space allocation could be improved upon, but I believe it far from the main cause.
Specifically for scooters, it is part behaviour and part consequence of easy access to heavy scooters. I don’t think scooters are in-and-of-themselves a problematic transport method, I think rental scooters are.
At the same time it is worth to consider the downsides of certain modes of transportation, instead of only comparing them to cars and their infrastructure. I just don’t think the discussion needs to be a what-aboutism. Especially considering the lack for some formal training, making many of the users of scooters a hazard for others and themselves.