rsa supporting e-scooters

One of the complaints about PT/ excuses for using the car is that it's too packed/ buses don't stop because they're full/ squeezed on darts. I think freeing up capacity on PT is a good thing tbh.

Similarly, with teenagers and children, while it may not have all the health benefits of truly active travel, it's certainly replacing car journeys by parents.

Belmont Avenue in Dublin has such a problem with driving on the footpath that residents stand there in morning protests to stop drivers attempting it.

I think there is the same concern about ebikes, if you go on the threads. Whether statistically that's back up as dangerous is a different matter, as per the article "Our feelings of safety are not always rational,”. I dare say if you went back 15 years it'd be the same concerns about pedal bikes, skateboards etc.

It was interesting regarding sustainability, kinda in line with @loyatemu point earlier that it's only more sustainable if it's replacing car journeys and/ or a car.

The UK model is more restrictive as it's part of an initial test, limiting it to who and through rental companies only before they decided what to do.

But same as here there's still thousands using their own regardless.

It may be an insurance company requirement; to make theft of device less likely (or easier to recover) and also a better chance renter knows the ROTR.

I've done a bit of looking on Google scholar around e-scooters and accidents rates and one of the stand out things (similar to bikes) was if you want to hurt yourself properly on one ride it when drunk/drink impaired. I saw that as someone with a pub bike 😅

One study had something like 90% of ED admissions accidents from e-scooter users where there was no other party involved; users simply not able to control device.

If you wanted to design a device to hurt people(especially in dealing with fairly minor vertical impediments), adding a motor to a two wheeled device with 150mm to 200mm wheel diameter would be a good start. Some basic training (via Youtube or a friend etc ) around their limitations and some basic road craft or a trial period on a manual sccoter to get balance and steering skills up make them pretty safe to use.

Some NZ city withdrew them from use after a spike in ED admissions after being introduced. I'd imagine people would quickly learn to use them or decide to stop and things should stablise after a while

My daily commute is about 9km, I walk sometimes, but mainly drive. I'm waiting for these to be legalized and will use one for the commute. I'm sure I'm not the only person.

And storage space (and security) too. Even if beside a desk isn't a goer, probably find somewhere in an office building to put them, whereas bike parking still very hit and miss.

So is mine. I used to drive, but after hearing about the possible delay in passing the legislation I decided it was enough waiting so I started to use it this week.

I agree it is a little trickier than ridding a bike but I had already "trained" myself a bit in the car park. So far so good. Worse thing is the sore thumb and hand from pressing the throttle!

I wear high viz and a helmet. I use mainly cycle lanes (>90%), I stop at red traffic lights and slow down near bus stops and the like.

For the most part I get overtaken by cyclists rather than the other way around (top speed is only 20kph).

No issues with drivers so far, although I suppose it is a matter of time.

As with everything I firmly believe it depends on who is behind the handlebar/wheel.

My scooter is half the price of that Fido bike.

A lot of kids have been using them around the lovely pedestrian centre of Tralee. Honestly I didn't see them causing any hassle but I did on a couple of occasions see them passing by auld wans and who would dramatically tell one another how they were just nearly killed. TBH I think it's the fact that a couple of the kids going around on them are travellers is the main reason people are complaining.

There's also the standard attitude that anything adolescents who are strangers do to enjoy themselves is automatically anti-social behaviour.