Push scooters in cycle lanes question

Chuchote

magicbastarder wrote: »

was passed by one of those retrofitted garden gate bikes with a two stroke engine earlier. my main issue with them is the noise; it was several times louder than a motorbike.

I really don't see why these should be in cycle lanes; they're motorised…

beauf

magicbastarder wrote: »

was passed by one of those retrofitted garden gate bikes with a two stroke engine earlier. my main issue with them is the noise; it was several times louder than a motorbike.

They aren't legal in Ireland. AFAIK.

tomasrojo

I like the notion that scooters are "less sweaty" than bicycles. Yes, I'd be fresh as a daisy after my 15km commute in the morning if only I had the wisdom to do it using only one foot.

beauf

Rayne Better Scraper wrote: »

...In Germany all wheeled transport (without motor) uses the cycle lane, there's no issues at all. Inline skates, scooters, skateboards etc.

Like motorists, cyclists need to adjust their mentality to cater for the "new" form of transport. This idea that cycle lanes are exclusively for cycles is no different to what a lot of car/van/bus/truck/motorbike drivers think about roads. Scooters are fantastic, and very convenient for people using public transport. Dublin is not very well connected at all, let alone the rest of Ireland.

I don't see the problem, live and let live.

As cyclist I have a problem with cyclists who cycle at a reckless speed in a cycle lane. Especially if its a lane that's very likely to be used others moving slowly. Give respect and empathy to other users, get it in return.

Parchment

Why would you go in a cycle lane? These scooters were a huge deal in Aberdeen when i lived there. Parents took their kids to school on them then the parent traveled on to work on the scooter. Never once saw one being used on a road/cycle lane - always on the footpath.

beauf

Parchment wrote: »

Why would you go in a cycle lane? These scooters were a huge deal in Aberdeen when i lived there. Parents took their kids to school on them then the parent traveled on to work on the scooter. Never once saw one being used on a road/cycle lane - always on the footpath.

I assume because its clearer of pedestrians.

tomasrojo

It's a curious attitude that scooters are safer than bicycles too. You're much more likely to take a spill on a scooter, with the small wheels, high centre of gravity (nearly over the front wheel too) and terrible brakes.

Nothing against scooters myself. They're just not suitable for anything but very short, unladen journeys.

beauf

Who thinks they are safer?

Fian

Chuchote wrote: »

The ting-ting kind. Really only designed for cuteness, not warning. The kind I want is the kind I had on my 1960s bike, with a brrrrringggg that would make people leap shrieking out of the way, wild-eyed with terror.

http://www.airzound.co.uk/

I use this (sensibly and never at pedestrians!) to alert cars which are crowding me or being oblivious to me. I think it is genuinely valuable as a safety device for my commute. I need to pump it every month or so, so not even most times i am pumping up my tyres.

It is loud, it is not appropriate to warn pedestrians because it would scare them. Though when i had it first i did succumb to the temptation to blast a teenager who was showing off to some girls by sauntering along in the bike lane beside the canal holding up the traffic there. He jumped two feet in the air then took a swing at me when i cycled past him laughing. Anyway i have been more sensible since and have never beeped a pedestrian again.

It sounds like a car horn, though possibly a little bit higher pitched which means it penetrates louder. If someone is drifting into the cycle lane the react pretty immediately when they think that there is a vehicle rather than a cyclist inside them.

tomasrojo

beauf wrote: »

Who thinks they are safer?

Parents. You see families going along, and the child on the bike has a helmet and the child on the scooter doesn't.

tomasrojo

Chuchote, the Dutch Bike Shop in Goatstown might have a bell loud enough for you. They have a wide range there. The Dutch Ding Dong bell is pretty loud, as far as I recall.

beauf

tomasrojo wrote: »

Parents. You see families going along, and the child on the bike has a helmet and the child on the scooter doesn't.

Ah. I see though you meant on this thread.

You come off a scooter pretty suddenly too, not time to lift the hands and protect the head. Seen some nasty falls off scooters. Its like a skateboard.

tomasrojo

Yeah, I see a kid fall off a scooter about once a week as I travel around (maybe a bit less than that). I think they're more popular than bikes right now though, so that might partially account for the high number of falls.

Chuchote

tomasrojo wrote: »

Chuchote, the Dutch Bike Shop in Goatstown might have a bell loud enough for you. They have a wide range there. The Dutch Ding Dong bell is pretty loud, as far as I recall.

Thanks, tomasrojo. I got one of those in Amsterdam, but it actually wasn't that good - the 'ding-dong' effect doesn't resonate in the unconscious as ":eek: bicycle :eek:" (And when my bike fell down it cracked; made of some kind of light aluminium spongy stuff, as I found when I picked up the pieces.)

What I'm looking for is the old-fashioned steel brrring-brrring kind.

tomasrojo

Chuchote wrote: »

Thanks, tomasrojo. I got one of those in Amsterdam, but it actually wasn't that good - the 'ding-dong' effect doesn't resonate in the unconscious as ":eek: bicycle :eek:" (And when my bike fell down it cracked; made of some kind of light aluminium spongy stuff, as I found when I picked up the pieces.)

What I'm looking for is the old-fashioned steel brrring-brrring kind.

Classic Brass Bell?
http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2010/11/testing-and-recording-bicycle-bells.html

Recordings and dB comparisons there too, as well as links to an online shop.

Chuchote

tomasrojo wrote: »

Classic Brass Bell?
http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2010/11/testing-and-recording-bicycle-bells.html

Recordings and dB comparisons there too, as well as links to an online shop.

Got one for my birthday. Lovely, but ting-ting, not brrring-brrring!

Nice site!

I actually got a more brrringy one than I'd had, but it weighs as much as the bike (slight exaggeration).

Arcade_Tryer

beauf wrote: »

Who thinks they are safer?

I do. Intuitively it makes sense for the reasons described below, and I highly doubt there's any data to suggest otherwise. A push scooter is one of the most simple inventions to use in terms of balance and speed, and takes up very little space when in operation.

tomasrojo wrote: »

Yeah, I see a kid fall off a scooter about once a week as I travel around (maybe a bit less than that). I think they're more popular than bikes right now though, so that might partially account for the high number of falls.

If you took a similar sample of kids who ride bicycles, I'm sure the rate of falls would be the same, if not higher. Bicycles are bigger, more difficult to balance at lower speeds, and more dangerous to pedestrians in terms of damage they can incur.

CramCycle

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

If you took a similar sample of kids who ride bicycles, I'm sure the rate of falls would be the same, if not higher. Bicycles are bigger, more difficult to balance at lower speeds, and more dangerous to pedestrians in terms of damage they can incur.

My n=5 of my own kids and nieces/nephews, scooters seem to incur a far higher rate of falls. This said for either, no head injuries, just knee grazes and bruised hips. All children survived any accidents and most were mobile again within 5 minutes.

tomasrojo

I should have made clear that this doesn't mean I think scooters are dangerous (or bikes). As CramCycle says, the injuries are usually trivial anyway.