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Electric Scooters in Austin

Silky Johnston

By Silky Johnston
in Food and Travel

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EuroHorn

EuroHorn 3144

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, Napoleon said:

That guy should be riding on the shoulder, which is most definitely NOT a sidewalk.

 

PS- When I was in Austin in early October, I used those things a lot. Parked in a garage downtown one night and then on the street another night and used those things and spent a few bucks rather than $25 to $45+ on Uber/Lyft. Always used the bike lanes and did not run red lights, then left the thing on a corner so that it was out of people's way, but easily visible. If used properly, those things are awesome, but there should be an asshole test before you can sign up .

He shouldn't be riding on a major interstate, i.e., I-75/85

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Jack Straw

Jack Straw 2953

Posted
Posted

I haven’t read the whole thread, but ...

What crime would I be committing, or what civil liability would I be exposed to, if I were to get a big ass U-Haul and round up a shit load of these scoters and dump them in an open field in Lockhart (assuming the property opener didn’t know/care)?  Or say, the dump?   They leave them out to be used amd left somewhere else, so it’s not theft, I don’t think.  I’m not withholding possession of them so it’s not conversion, I don’t think either.  Tortious interference maybe? 

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conVINCEd

conVINCEd 21468

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Jack Straw said:

I haven’t read the whole thread, but ...

What crime would I be committing, or what civil liability would I be exposed to, if I were to get a big ass U-Haul and round up a shit load of these scoters and dump them in an open field in Lockhart (assuming the property opener didn’t know/care)?  Or say, the dump?   They leave them out to be used amd left somewhere else, so it’s not theft, I don’t think.  I’m not withholding possession of them so it’s not conversion, I don’t think either.  Tortious interference maybe? 

I’ll contribute to your gofundme legal defense fund.

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wood

wood 10786

Posted
Posted (edited)
27 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:


So....if unicorns exist.
I’ve had countless close calls with people running stop signs and red lights on them, careening down sidewalks at 20 mph, etc. Moronic usage is the rule.

Oh, absolutely. Same here. They just use everything in sight with zero caution, shooting out onto the street from nowhere, buzzing peds on the sidewalk, riding fast down sidewalks in front of unsighted cars exiting garages. Dude damn near rode out from a sidewalk into a crosswalk in front of me one night til he realized he was about to get killed if he did. No lights except the faint led glow under the scooter. I couldn't even see him til he was almost to the curb. It's really kind of a strange phenomenon imho. People are doing things on these scooters, with zero protection, that they'd never even contemplate doing on foot, on a bike or motorcycle, or in a car. It's become clear to me that as a species we're becoming less intelligent at an alarming rate. The way people use these scooters seems to back up that theory in spades imho. 

Edited by wood
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High Plains Drifter

High Plains Drifter 10915

Posted
Posted

 

On 1/8/2019 at 8:25 AM, ChickenSandwich said:

This. 

Mine of these fuckers hits a dog the scooter and the asshole are both going in the water. 

 

Is it worth an ass kicking old man?

 

On 1/8/2019 at 6:47 PM, Buzzrock said:

Pretty sure the minimum speed on interstates is 40 MPH. That guy’s gonna get killed.

That would be a shame.

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

Posted
Posted

Ann Kitchen has requested though that free scooter services be made available to the Zebra mussels and their families so we don't have two classes of mollusk pedestrians.  

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Hornius Emeritus

Hornius Emeritus 12332

Posted
Posted

I spend a good portion of the last couple of days at SXSW.  The scooters have descended like vultures on roadkill.   Like most things, I see pluses and minuses with them.  TheVerge.com  has an evenhanded article about this.  One of the interesting points they make:


" Meanwhile, cities are now grappling with large-scale scooter deployments that drastically affect sidewalks, public spaces, and roads. That’s all while the existence of low-cost, venture capital-funded scooters make it much less likely that public transportation like rail and bus networks receive the necessary funding and support required to improve — or even function."



https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/11/18260154/austin-scooters-bird-lime-uber-jump-sxsw-2019-dangerous-future-urban-transit

 

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

I spend a good portion of the last couple of days at SXSW.  The scooters have descended like vultures on roadkill.   Like most things, I see pluses and minuses with them.  TheVerge.com  has an evenhanded article about this.  One of the interesting points they make:


" Meanwhile, cities are now grappling with large-scale scooter deployments that drastically affect sidewalks, public spaces, and roads. That’s all while the existence of low-cost, venture capital-funded scooters make it much less likely that public transportation like rail and bus networks receive the necessary funding and support required to improve — or even function."



https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/11/18260154/austin-scooters-bird-lime-uber-jump-sxsw-2019-dangerous-future-urban-transit

 

Living in Austin and working downtown, I get to deal with the clusterf*** that SXSW causes every year.  Except this year instead of dealing with skinny jean-wearing man purse-toting hipsters, I get skinny jean-wearing man purse-toting hipsters on scooters

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Hornius Emeritus

Hornius Emeritus 12332

Posted
Posted
Just now, AustinMT said:

Living in Austin and working downtown, I get to deal with the clusterf*** that SXSW causes every year.  Except this year instead of dealing with skinny jean-wearing man purse-toting hipsters, I get skinny jean-wearing man purse-toting hipsters on scooters


I understand the frustration. I'm walking around with a ton of photography gear (two cameras with dangling straps, a backpack also with straps etc...) and these people are just flying past me, around me etc...  One of them is going to catch me or a camera with their handlebars and then it's going to be a disaster.

However  1) they look fun as hell as long (as you don't crash)  2) they are incredibly convenient  3)  they replace a ton of cars that would no doubt be jockeying around/through the downtown areas, which is a worthy goal  4) it doesn't look, judging from the empty buses and metro train that I saw coming into the downtown area, that people are going to use mass transit  5) there is a lot of downtown space dedicated to parking lots and parking garages ----- premium space that could be better utilized 6) fewer tow truck drivers get to screw with the masses.  One of my buddies is a tow truck driver and they are absolutely NOT in favor of scooters



 

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

Posted
Posted
Just now, Hornius Emeritus said:


I understand the frustration. I'm walking around with a ton of photography gear (two cameras with dangling straps, a backpack also with straps etc...) and these people are just flying past me, around me etc...  One of them is going to catch me or a camera with their handlebars and then it's going to be a disaster.

However  1) they look fun as hell as long (as you don't crash)  2) they are incredibly convenient  3)  they replace a ton of cars that would no doubt be jockeying around/through the downtown areas, which is a worthy goal  4) it doesn't look, judging from the empty buses and metro train that I saw coming into the downtown area, that people are going to use mass transit  5) there is a lot of downtown space dedicated to parking lots and parking garages ----- premium space that could be better utilized 6) fewer tow truck drivers get to screw with the masses.  One of my buddies is a tow truck driver and they are absolutely NOT in favor of scooters



 

I don't have any real issue with the concept of the scooters and I understand the convenience.  The problem is (and I see this every day downtown) is that a not insubstantial number of the riders either don't know what they are doing or just don't care.

Frankly, my comment was more directed to the issues that SXSW causes for anyone who has to be downtown this week.  More scooters just add to the mess.

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gsoda3

gsoda3 3187

Posted
Posted

was at sxsw this week.  the scooters made it incredibly convenient to get anywhere.  love them.  didn't see many people hindering traffic or doing anything stupid.  maybe if you can't see the sucker at the table....

 

something needs to be done about where scooters are allowed to be left when the ride's over.  for the most part people leave them standing upright and out of the way, but on occasion you'll see a few clustered blocking sidewalk ramps or a few haphazardly strewn on their side in the grass.  there needs to be a clear law about where you can park them and once you're done on the app take a picture of where you left it.  no picture?  you get a ticket.  the scooter in the picture is breaking a parking law?  you get a ticket.  same with those who can't abide by normal driving regulations-  drive on a sidewalk?  get a ticket.  blow through a red?  get a ticket.  

 

from a consumer standpoint i think the pros far outweigh the cons.  this would solve the last mile problem our city has with mass  (mess) transit.

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, gsoda3 said:

was at sxsw this week.  the scooters made it incredibly convenient to get anywhere.  love them.  didn't see many people hindering traffic or doing anything stupid.  maybe if you can't see the sucker at the table....

I have seen multiple people on scooters lane-splitting (dangerous and illegal), randomly switching from sidewalks to streets (dangerous), running lights, etc.  Of course, I see that every day since I work at Congress/Cesar Chavez.  It’s just worse this week.  Maybe if you actually lived here and dealt with it regularly....

Edited by AustinMT
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gsoda3

gsoda3 3187

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, AustinMT said:

I have seen multiple people on scooters lane-splitting (dangerous and illegal), randomly switching from sidewalks to streets (dangerous), running lights, etc.  Of course, I see that every day since I work at Congress/Cesar Chavez.  It’s just worse this week.  Maybe if you actually lived here and dealt with it regularly....

i live in north austin so you're right i don't see it everyday.  but like i said i didn't see anything egregious.  nothing more than bicyclists, scooters, or motorbikes do in other cities.  austin's going to keep growing, we have to change with it and be a little more tolerant.  switching from sidewalks to the street is incredibly dangerous and should be a citation.  same with running lights.  i'm sure the cops would jump at the chance to enforce that.  

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High Plains Drifter

High Plains Drifter 10915

Posted
Posted
16 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

was at sxsw this week.  the scooters made it incredibly convenient to get anywhere.  love them.  didn't see many people hindering traffic or doing anything stupid.  maybe if you can't see the sucker at the table....

 

 

Not trying to be a dick here:

More convenient than walking?

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gsoda3

gsoda3 3187

Posted
Posted
47 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

Not trying to be a dick here:

More convenient than walking?

yes.  much more so.  now you can park at town lake and get all over from there to rainey to 6th st to east of 35 and back and forth depending on the events.  made it so much quicker than walking.  it's key when you're on a schedule.

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