rsa supporting e-scooters

Thargor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118048696#Comment_118048696

Which is why you'd want the greater speed and range of a bicycle, especially on horrific Irish roads, not sure what you're arguing tbh.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118047634#Comment_118047634

If you walk fast enough you'll sweat. Walk slowly you won't. Cycling is no different.

Its got nothing to with scooters though. if a scooter works for some people there should be some means to facilitate that.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118048662#Comment_118048662

True.

The rules are not the same across DART, Bus and Rail. Often it just depends on the driver or staff you see in the station. its not helped when the signs on public transport are use ambiguous terms. Not making the distinction of different rules between folding bikes and other bicycles.

Markcheese

Is there going to be an age limit ? ( Over 14's maybe ? )

I like the idea of some hi-vis or decent lights , possibly a Helmet ,

Personally I'd make anyone using one have to pass the equivalent of a basic cycle safety course -

And I'd allow the gardai to impound the scooter of someone's acting the dick ..

But I'd also push scooter parking ,and support them being carried on public transport ..

Joe1919

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118049520#Comment_118049520

Supply of powered personal transporter to person under 16 years of age

34. The Act of 2004 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 30: “30A. (1) A person shall not supply a powered personal transporter to a person who is under the age of 16 years. (2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a class A fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or both.”.

magicbastarder

i don't understand some of the pushback against them being used as 'last mile' transport. what if you're 2 or 3km from the train station with a 20km train ride? the bike isn't going to be suitable for most people there, and if you can stash a scooter easily at work you've probably got far less worry about it being stolen.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118050988#Comment_118050988

Average person would cover a kilometre in about 9 or 10 minutes on foot . So that last 2-3km could add up to an hour to your commute each day so I could see the scooters being a real time saver for a lot of people.

My work has banned them from the building due to people charging them and mess being dragged in on wet days but have installed rails for them to be locked to beside the bike racks. I'll get a pic next time I have to go to the office but it's effectively a handrail you can lock them to.

From listening to family and friends who take the train to work they have issue with them being used on footpaths and being in the way if a lot of folk take them onto the train. I've a pal who takes one on a coach and it goes in the boot but it's a pain as she has to lock it to both stop it moving around and getting damaged and from being stolen between stops.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046399#Comment_118046399

My source is my own two eyes, I’m in a car driving about 5-6 hours a week. I’m relating what I see and experience over the last few years...

Required PPE would be lights, hi-vis and helmet... legally that may not be required but it sure is a requirement that road users are visible to one another, as a safety measure and courtesy one....

LeeroyJ.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118051512#Comment_118051512

Source: Trust me Bro

Tombo2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118051512#Comment_118051512

Ok...

magicbastarder

folks, can we avoid getting into a tedious argument that seems to be brewing? to Strumms, i'm sure you saw my comment about reading the charter.

Cabaal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118049520#Comment_118049520

Why would you want people on scooters to take a basic cycle safety course when people on bikes don't even have to do this?

Sure as with any device if used at night they should have lights. Hi-viz is advertisery just like if you are walking, I would disagree with making it a legal requirment. The same goes for helmets, if you want to kill any scooter rental setup then requiring helmets will be the way to do it.

Just like making helmets law would kill dublin bikes.

The trick here is building safer infrastructure for use of scooters and bikes, people use stuff on footpaths often because they feel unsafe on roads and in lots of places the roads don't feel very safe even to experienced cyclists. I don't agree with using stuff on paths but you can't ignore the reason behind why.

John_Rambo

Fantastic news. About time people are allowed to use reasonably priced personal transport in urban areas. E-bikes, bikes, E-scooters etc... I'm all for it. Biggest problem is unsure or ignorant motorists.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118052246#Comment_118052246

That's true. However I reckon most people on scooters are going a lot faster than the average cyclist. Though certainly some cyclists can get up and exceed similar speeds to scooters. But most won't.

Then there's the argument no point having laws or mandatory training if we mostly don't enforce any of it. When you consider eScooters are not legal yet you see them all over.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118051112#Comment_118051112

Using a folding bike cut about 20~30 mins off my hour commute. So thats an hour a day.

But tbh the trains were too packed and are poorly laid out which made it very awkward. TBH staff were either ignorant of the rules, or jobsworths insisting the folded bike being moved from a perfectly out of the way location, to the bike rack which doesn't fit a folding bike properly. My office then also introduced new completely unnecessary rules which made getting in and out of the office take a lot longer with the folding bike.

Macy0161

It's a long time since I looked into it, but I think the Dart rules are bikes have to be not just folded, but in a bag? Anyway, scooter would be far more convenient, if I was back in the commute I was then tbh.

Flinty997

A bag yes.

eScooters are surprisingly bigger than they look, long, heavy and not that compact. Many do not fold well. I've only seen a handful of people with them on a train. They are very awkward on a busy train.

I've seen more manual adult scooter's. Which are far lighter and look more designed for folding on trains etc. Bit hipster though.

Very few folding bikes fold well. The Brompton is best in class in that regard. If you are only doing the last 1k-4k you don't need the electric assistance.

If they were legal I'd have eScooter tomorrow. I'd just use it for the entire 15k commute and not bother with the train at all. I'll probably get an eBike at some point regardless.

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118052833#Comment_118052833

15km on an escooter is actually surprisingly uncomfortable, particularly on the cheaper ones like the Xiaomi M365 etc without suspension and smaller tires. They’re grand for shorter journeys but I did 7km on one before and would have much preferred an ebike or a regular bike in terms of comfort

Flinty997

That's a good point. I hadn't considered that.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118053256#Comment_118053256

Potentially the biggest thing is the move away from the need of an e-bike being a pedelec - the likes of those fiido yolks that were on a thread a few months back (assuming speed limited) would be legal.

tomasrojo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118052718#Comment_118052718

This requirement of being in a bag is quite easy to meet for a Brompton. You can just stuff a garden refuse sack into the top tube, since the inside of the top tube is exposed when it's folded, and taken it out and lower it over the folded bike before you get on. It's a small bit of extra hassle, but it's not a lot. I use it for getting on buses, since my experience of being thrown off a Dublin bus by a weird driver isn't one I care to repeat.

Markcheese

E-scooters: Half of people hospitalised after accident had little or no experience on roads

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40727253.html

magicbastarder

the conclusions are kinda trivial, no? (not the injuries, lest i be misunderstood there)

of course people unused to scooters and to roads are going to be dispropotionately represented in those presenting in A&E. that in itself states nothing about how safe or dangerous they are.

the comment about hi-vis not being worn is interesting, given that

Two patients reportedly lost control of their e-scooter for unknown reasons and crashed into a street pole, while another crashed into a car pulling out. Two-thirds of patients suffered falls due to road conditions such as uneven surfaces.

that's fourteen where hi-vis was seemingly not an issue (taking at face value that the scooterist crashed into the car and not vice versa); out of fifteen cases in total. no info on the remaining case.

C3PO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118052833#Comment_118052833

Serious question - why would you not cycle the 15kms?

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118063750#Comment_118063750

I did for a few years. Never managed it more than 3 days a week though. For a variety of reasons.

Markcheese

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118062163#Comment_118062163

It was more the lack of any knowledge of rules of the road that I was a bit worried about ,

I just think the smaller the transport, the more visible it pays to be - wether it's just decent front and back lights ... But hi-viz helps - especially in poor visibility . .

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064297#Comment_118064297

Definitely experience with being on the road if cycling etc is very important.

The other thing is don't assume if you are lit up like a Xmas tree and dressed in dayglo that a driver will see you. Often they aren't concentrating or looking properly or distracted. They are not in the habit of focusing on cyclists.

When you see reports of a driver not seeing a cyclist they often don't tell you if it's because cyclist was hard to see or was the driver not looking.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064297#Comment_118064297

whetever the merits of hi-vis or not, the data collected from the meagre sample size of 15 above doesn't inform that debate.

Markcheese

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064492#Comment_118064492

Fair enough - a sample size of 15 is neither here nor there ,.

Flinty997

....or you could just go read the research into the subject.