Anyone else hate those electric scooters

[canyouextrapol]

I have no idea why they are considered a good thing. They seem to be exclusively ridden by absolute wankers. Came round a tight one way corner today to find two blokes in the middle of the road riding towards me. The other day one was riding along on the pavement then just rode out in front of me without looking. Another just zipped in front of me as I was turning off a roundabout. They are winding me up!

Yes.

For all the reasons you say above

The thread will be full of people talking about how you're being 'ableist' (this forum loves that word) and that the scooters mean people can get out and about, but quite frankly its the vast majority of users who need to walk more and exercise more anyway and additionally are anti social with them.

There are a few who use them responsibly and who really need them and have had their lives enhanced by them.

Yes they're really dangerous and complete idiots ride them around here. Just last night a teenage boy was going past ours trying to do tricks on it 🤣

Ridiculous things. Can people hire them from Beryl Bikes.

They're an excellent means of transport. Kill a lot fewer people (accidents, air pollution and climate emergency) than cars.

Look at it this way - would you rather a hare-brained, testosterone fuelled 17 year old boy was in charge of an electric scooter or a car?

OP I think you're talking about those stupid little stand on scooters that lads use antisocially

And I answered about the wrong thing, I was talking about the sit down electric scooters that are also, usually used anti socially

I think the older anti social users are just an older version of the younger anti social users.

The problem is the UK doesn't have the infrastructure for them. I rode one around Berlin but they were in the cycle lanes, not in the traffic or on the pavement.

A council in Kent have banned them, following a death of a pensioner being hit by one I expect more may follow, there are many in my city, followed one the other day going at quite a speed, young man with his young girlfriend on the back, no helmets, if I had a daughter I wouldn’t have been happy tbh. Very dangerous.

Almost got hit by one head on in the centre of Birmingham, missed me by an inch .

They are technically illegal on public roads and paths in the UK (except from hire schemes). It just isn't enforced

What type of scooter do you mean?

A stand on one?
An mobility scooter?
A moped, which can also be referred to as a scooter?

No I bloody love them. They’re so much fun to ride and easy to use. And great for congestion and the environment.

A stand on one. The riders just seem to flit from the pavement to the road at will with no consideration of any other road user or pedestrian. I was coming off a three lane roundabout about a month ago and one was heading toward it. Pretty horrible bit of road in a car with muppets switching lanes unpredictably. I hope he didn't go on it!

Terrified of winter with them.
It's hard enough to see cyclists!

From what I’ve observed, as a pedestrian and a driver, is that those who ride them must believe themselves to be exempt from the rules of the road. I’ve seen them go round bends on the wrong side of the road, ignore stop lines and pull out on to the main road without looking. Very often, there are two people riding one scooter.

They are awful but part of the green agenda and the anti-car agenda

London is full of them and they are reckless. I'm scared my mum will get mowed down by one on the pavement. The very nature of them means they are used by people who are impatient and angry. I think there have been two deaths of the scooter riders themselves and frankly I feel sorry for whoever knocked them down.

I have seen one guy a few times at the Euston Road, just yelling at people to get out of the way.

There are tons round here in Manchester, ridden by young people with no helmets on the pavement. They constantly whizz past me missing me by about an inch, it's terrifying. I despise them!

They are technically illegal on public roads and paths in the UK (except from hire schemes). It just isn't enforced

It is, sometimes. The police force near me has days when they go out and round up as many as they can.

If people want to be more environmentally friendly with their mode of transport they can get a bicycle.

You get idiots driving cars.
You get idiots riding bicycles.
And now you get idiots on e-scooters.

The common factor are the idiots, not their method of travel. E-scooters can be ridden sensibly and, as the novelty factor wears off, the number of idiots will reduce. You don't notice those who ride e-scooters sensibly.

Jennifer "You don't notice those who ride e-scooters sensibly."

oh, you do. These items don't belong on crowded pavements...or anywhere really.

It's unlikely that anyone would see someone riding an e-scooter sensibly, given that the only places they are legally allowed to be ridden is private land.

It doesn't matter how sensible an e-scooter rider thinks they are- if they're riding on a public road, or pavement, they are breaking the law. Which isn't sensible.

They're legal under certain private hire schemes in London.

much as I hate them, I'd not be surprised if people using them just think they are legal, full stop. There has been no proper explanation of any of it.

UK streets aren't made for them but in some European cities they are tremendous fun and not just for 17 year old.

Apparently there are fewer places hiring them out now, due to the number of accidents.

The sooner they're withdrawn or at least regulated the better, imo.

Where I live you can legally hire electric scooters; there's an age restriction, (I think it's 18) they are speed-limited and they're bright orange.
But they are vastly outnumbered by private, illegal ones, often with two people on, no helmets, and no speed limiters (or they've been tampered with to go faster.)

On Friday I was in my car in slow traffic approaching a busy pedestrian crossing when a couple of young teenage boys, (14 tops) riding these scooters at quite a lick on the pavement, swerved out into the road to cross it at a wide angle, cutting into
the traffic, diagonally across the zebra crossing, into oncoming traffic and back onto the opposite pavement. They cut up several cars and went through people on the crossing like a dose of salts.

Sadly I think it will take several fatalities before this is tackled. There should at least be age restriction, compulsory helmets, 3rd party insurance and rider licenses, as there are for almost every other motorised vehicle, (except electric bicycles and mobility scooters). And as motorised vehicles they should not be on pavements.
There are so many in this city it's terrifying to see them dodging in and out of the traffic. DH was nearly hit by one in a pedestrian-only underpass earlier this year. There's a reason why you have to be 17 before you can get a driving license for a regular scooter/moped! Some of them don't have the sense of a gnat.