What the battle over scooters gets wrong
September 18, 2018 •
Scooters are popping up across American cities, to the delight of riders and the consternation of pedestrians. But are scooters really the problem, or is something deeper going on?
Find out in the latest UC/Vox video
Until complete streets arrive (solid idea), I do not have an issue with scooters or any other wheeled conveyance, as long as they use only the streets in the meantime — not sidewalks. The damage to pedestrians is too high, in terms of physical carnage when struck, and impediments to the handicapped (especially those with sight challenges).
In a capitalistic society, no business should be allowed to play for free. Scooter and bike companies should pay a street parking fee (think of leased parking spaces dedicated to these emerging modes of transportation.)
If municipalities were to adopt like measures to what is stated above, then you would know that my enthusiasm is quite high for these “last mile” solutions. I would embrace them in a most welcome manner. Until then — stay off the sidewalks!
I am concerned about pedestrians with vision problems. Scooters are not in 1 stationary place that someone can get used to. Their location keeps changing. If a blind person has a seeing-eye dog, the dog can alert the person. However, if a blind person only has a cane, this could be a problem. Years ago one of my co-workers was a blind computer programmer. I learned my lesson one day when I went to talk to him and put my water cup on his desk. Of course he knew where everything was on his desk except for my cup. I was very embarrassed when my water spilled all over his papers and it was my fault.