- cross-posted to:
- micromobility@lemmy.world
- technology@lemmy.world
- seattle@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- micromobility@lemmy.world
- technology@lemmy.world
- seattle@lemmy.world
Title says most of it. Spin electric scooters exited the Seattle market and abandoned their scooters all over the city and apparently they have a pi 4 in them!
My city still has them. They get picked up every night and put at whatever corners or lots they gather them to.
Honestly in my experience anyone that’s complained about them has no idea at all what they do or how they work, so anyone “fed up finding them everywhere” is simply ignorant 99% of the time. They’re supposed to be everywhere lol that’s the entire point.
That’s all fine until they’re blocking sidewalks and access ways. Trying to push a stroller or wheelchair through the renta-scooter slalom course is horrible.
In my city, we have strict parking designated zones and you have to take a photo. If it’s left on the sidewalk or road, it won’t let you end the trip, implies it will fine you, plus they’ll send someone to move it.
Likewise. I live in an extremely high foot traffic/high scooter traffic area (beach town in SoCal) and I very rarely see them anywhere outside of the designated zones.
I’m glad you’re not over exaggerating or anything
I walk 20 minutes each way to and from work, and every single day at least once I’m having to skirt around a stack of scooters that some asshole has just dumped in the middle of the footpath blocking most of it.
I’m able bodied so at worst it’s annoying having to walk on the muddy grass, but if I was in anyway disabled - required a wheelchair, or a mobility scooter, or just crutches - it will effectively render the footpath impassable.
If the scooter companies are going to take over public property for their own private profit, they should at a minimum be paying to rent space from the city - same as if you want to hold a private concert in a public park
This is less a problem about the actual scooters though and more of an issue with the people using them (or people setting them up) not giving a damn about where they’re left.
I have mobility issues and can’t use the footpath on Fridays because that’s rubbish collection day and people just leave their bins in the middle of the footpath. People in my area also park on the footpaths, across the foot paths and leave all sorts of crap from their property leaning out onto them. That’s despite it being illegal to do so.
If most people used the scooters responsibly (put their bins out responsibly, parked their cars on their property or road, etc. etc.) it would mostly be a non-issue.
I agree. That is the heart of the problem.
I didn’t say they block every sidewalk in the city. I said when they DO it’s extremely disruptive. Relax.
S/He is not. Even one blocked sidewalk means that I need to double back on the block if I am using my wheelchair. One scooter is all it takes, and depending on the length of the block, it can easily add 20 minutes to a commute.
Them ‘supposed to be everywhere’ doesn’t change that fact that they litter up the sidewalk and use the public areas of my town as a pseudo frontage for their business.
I have no problem with the bike systems that have docs for the bikes, it centralizes the locations and keeps the bike organized.
It’s not ignorance, it’s a full understanding that they pollute the public areas and already limited walkways in my city.
Ohmygod people other than you are using the public services! The pollution!
Seriously though, it’s going to be different in every city. Your city might not be a good place for them. My city has them being used all the time.
They are a for profit company, not a public service.
The scooters are not a problem on wide sidewalks and are better than more vehicle traffic, but they can certainly get in the way on narrow sidewalks.
In some countries the public transport is run by for-profit companies too. In my city, for example, ALL of the public transport are contracted private companies. They’re all liveried as public transport, but they’re still privately run.
There is a key distinction between a contracted public service and a private company running a for-profit business. Think buses (as you described) vs taxis.
Not always. And I don’t see the key distinction you mean. Can you explain further.
Using the example of my city again, there’s no difference between the buses and taxis here in terms of contracted or not. The various bus companies are all privately owned. Some still have their own liveries. Some have the city council liveries. Some bus services don’t have regular contracts with the council/government at all and just run various private services. Sometimes the council will contract them for one off services. Regardless of how they look or the contract (or lack thereof), they’re all privately owned.
All the taxis are private owned. But the government/council contracts them for certain purposes. For example, if you are injured and unable to drive, ACC will pay for a taxi to take you to and from health services.
All of these companies are for-profita nd make profit from their contracts.
The profit made by some of the public services by private companies is a regular issue of contention in this country. As is the selling off by state owned public interest facilities (such as the rail system, power generation, communications, etc.).
I guess that puts me in the 1%. I live in Richmond, VA. It’s a great city for scooters and on occasion I will rent one. That said, they really do literally litter the sidewalks. If I go for a run, I will 100% have to avoid scooters that have been improperly parked and are blocking the sidewalk. I feel bad for disabled people because sometimes the sidewalk is completely blocked for somebody in a wheelchair. There are too many of them for the demand. It can be quite annoying.