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AIBU?

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Original poster

These fecking electric scooters are doing my head in- aibu

33 replies

Ihatepeople123 · 10/10/2023 12:46

I live in an area where theyr doing a council run electric scooter trial- you pick one up from one of the designated bays and have to drop it off at another bay. There are loads of them so that’s not really an issue for riders, but those scooters really do my head in!

the riders have no respect for anyone else, they don’t wear helmets, half the time they have headphones in and just whizz past you with no warning, they’re meant to be on the roads but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one on the road. I nearly got knocked over by one this morning when I bent down to pick up after the dog and didn’t notice it coming up behind me.

my kids used to walk to school alone (10 min walk, y5 and 6) but I’ve started walking with them again now because they’ve told me that they’re scared to walk due to these idiots on scooters, most of whom attend the local high school, zipping past them and nearly knocking them over. The other day I saw a guy on a scooter with a lit spliff hanging out of his mouth, headphones in, speeding down the pavement.

I think electric scooters aren’t a bad idea if used correctly, but aibu to be totally peeved off with them and wish they would stop the trials and just ban the damn things? It’ll be even worse when they make them legal nationwide….

OP posts:
Mothership4two · 10/10/2023 12:57

How long is the trial. If this carries on they won't keep them. Maybe your council should be educating people how to use them? They have had them in Bristol for a few years and they all seem to be driven on the roads with some dedicated lanes. They seem pretty successful. Rarely see a helmet though.

daffodilandtulip · 10/10/2023 13:01

We don't have a trial, just teenagers who think it's funny to ride the wrong way along roads or across traffic in the dark on them. And I mean literally stopping traffic, finding it hilarious and telling you to fuck off.

BoohooWoohoo · 10/10/2023 13:01

Where I live, you drop the scooters off anywhere that you want. Very usual to see them on random pavements blocking the way for pedestrians. the scooter company has a van that collects and relocates the scooters to somewhere more useful.

Never seen a helmet wearing E scooter rider either. I don't see many helmet wearing cyclists either and where I live is bicycle friendly with lots of kids cycling to school.

wwyd2021medicine · 10/10/2023 13:21

They are an absolute menace imo. There was a trial where I live. It stopped but seems it being restarted.
They are ridden primarily on pavements and as a pedestrian it seems you are expected to have eyes in the back of your head to jump out of their way. They go too fast for pavements and I can honestly say I have not seen one ridden with any consideration of pedestrians.
I spoke to the police at a community event. They were not in the least interested other than saying if I gave the scooter number and time of the incident, they would look into it. That is v hard with how fast they go.
Someone told me her friend was a nurse in a and e and was complaining of the number of accidents involving them.

They were the final straw and I'm moving out of the city - house will be on the market in 18 months. It's bad enough now when I can hear, move fast etc but I am not putting myself in this situation as I get old.

Maybe I should think about Kent where they've banned them!

MyJetNowAirlines · 10/10/2023 13:25

Complain to your council and local councillors whilst the trial is on. Get your feelings logged, it will decrease the likelihood of the trial being made into a permanent scheme.

Octobermeterreadtime · 10/10/2023 13:27

I reported a load of teens on them rampaging through the streets. Apparently I must be lying as they are for over 18's only...

madeinmanc · 10/10/2023 13:29

You may have a point but wearing a helmet or not is a personal choice, as it is for cyclists, and doesn't affect you in any way. Just for your information, cyclists are more likely to be hit by reckless motorists when they wear a helmet.

RedPony1 · 10/10/2023 13:38

You can't walk around in Bristol late eve without nearly being wiped out by them on multiple occasions!!

VineRipened · 10/10/2023 13:41

Bring silent and without lights they are perfect for muggers. I have twice had young men in balaclavas come up behind me silently on the pavement checking me out.

NonMiDispiace · 10/10/2023 13:42

We have bloody idiots riding two or three abreast, deliberately holding up the traffic on the A4 near us.
it has to be one of the most ridiculous ideas ever.

Bluevelvetsofa · 10/10/2023 14:03

We don’t have a trial, but we have plenty of scooters, being ridden in residential area, main roads and anywhere else they want to go. Mostly older children, teens, mostly with two of them on the scooter. Never seen anyone wearing protective clothing Orr a helmet. Downright dangerous.

Sigmama · 10/10/2023 14:06

What's their head wear got to do with anything?

Sigmama · 10/10/2023 14:07

Redpony, and yet thousands of people still manage to walk around bristol

JenniferBooth · 10/10/2023 14:09

Housing association tenants who own mobility scooters are told that DEFINATELY cant charge them indoors.

Housing association tenants who own electric scooters are only ADVISED not to charge them indoors

Interesting isnt it!

ErrolTheDragon · 10/10/2023 14:15

We've been having to visit Bristol a lot recently - some scooters are being ridden responsibly on the roads, some aren't.
E.g. someone had a close shave zipping by when DH was turning into a parking space. Another nearly had me when I was walking over a pelican crossing, sailing over on a diagonal with no notice of the stop light.

I don't doubt there are accidents and will be fatalities caused by impacts between scooters and all other road users sometimes their fault and sometimes not. But if I lived in a town like Bristol where driving is such a pain, I'd use a scooter myself.

SaturdayGiraffe · 10/10/2023 14:17

Paris is getting rid of them. Too many accidents.

enchantedsquirrelwood · 10/10/2023 14:25

I was recently on holiday overseas and they were a nuisance. I don't think it helps that they get dumped everywhere when the time runs out on them,

However not sure why the helmet wearing, or lack thereof, is anyone's problem than the rider's.

enchantedsquirrelwood · 10/10/2023 14:26

JenniferBooth · 10/10/2023 14:09

Housing association tenants who own mobility scooters are told that DEFINATELY cant charge them indoors.

Housing association tenants who own electric scooters are only ADVISED not to charge them indoors

Interesting isnt it!

E-scooters are much smaller and lighter, so I assume the battery needed is smaller too, and less likely to burst into flames when charging?

Just an idea - I don't profess to be an expert in this area though!

Toddlerteaplease · 10/10/2023 14:28

We've now got electric bikes and e scooters littering up our pavements.

JenniferBooth · 10/10/2023 14:40

Much easier to target a minority!

CromartyForthTyneDogger · 10/10/2023 14:56

They're a menace, both to pedestrians and to motorists, as are some riders of electric bikes.

I have no objection to them in principle but a motorist driving with the same recklessness as a lot of the riders I see, would be done for driving without due care and attention. I don't understand why someone on a electric bike or electric scooter can ride along going very fast but doesn't need to pass a driving test to learn even basic road skills (anyone riding even a small 50cc motor bike would need to), doesn't need to have a helmet, doesn't need insurance.

ButterMyParsnip · 10/10/2023 15:00

Where I live you can leave them anywhere but you need to take a photo of where you've left it for the scooter company. Presumably it's so they can ban you if you leave them in stupid places or laying down instead of upright. My DH loves using them to go to work.

I don't see any difference between the number of teenagers being a menace on those scooters compared to the number of teenagers on foot or skateboards or bikes where I used to live.

junbean · 10/10/2023 15:06

I live in the US and most of our cities have done these trials, made it legal, then made it illegal again or placed major limits. We had the same issues, plus lots of accidents and some deaths. It's still a problem but I think they've walked it back enough so I haven't seen it in the news in awhile. Hopefully your area figures it out soon! They are so dangerous.

BoohooWoohoo · 10/10/2023 15:15

CromartyForthTyneDogger · 10/10/2023 14:56

They're a menace, both to pedestrians and to motorists, as are some riders of electric bikes.

I have no objection to them in principle but a motorist driving with the same recklessness as a lot of the riders I see, would be done for driving without due care and attention. I don't understand why someone on a electric bike or electric scooter can ride along going very fast but doesn't need to pass a driving test to learn even basic road skills (anyone riding even a small 50cc motor bike would need to), doesn't need to have a helmet, doesn't need insurance.

The e-scooter hire company has taken out insurance on its scooters but considering how easy it is to hire them without a provisional license, I suspect that claiming would be impossible if the rider is underage.

I've not seen hoverboards in years but that might be because my area has e-scooter and E-bike hire.