Paris to ban rental scooters.

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#3122698 1-Sep-2023 14:38

Handsomedan:

ezbee:

I understand the Paris problem was highlighted by the number of fatal accidents.
Rentals also littering pavements and such.
Probably sheer numbers of tourists who have no skills grabbing one after a few drinks.
It all seems to easy for inexperienced, combined with limited stability.

You may not have experience to know how loose paving stone, or that curb edge may trip you up.
Plus on holiday to you want that memorable TikTok.

At least someone who 'owns' a scooter may spend more time getting used to the lack of stability, pavement conditions etc.
Plus there will be orders of magnitude fewer of them, being primarily locals who went out to buy one.

Indeed - when I think of what it was like the very first time I got on a Lime scooter with it's small wheels and narrow handlebars, versus what it's like to ride my slightly more powerful personal scooter that I am intimately familiar with, it is somewhat understandable that there'd be more accidents with rental scooters than private ones.

Agreed although the current gen of rental scooters look a lot safer than my personal one (bigger wheels, more solid build). I also think the novelty has worn off for a lot of people but there's still the tourist factor.

But I can also understand the UK's reverse approach. It's easier to regulate the rental companies than private scooter owners. Private scooters can be way over-powered (the 60kmph machines), or cheap, poorly maintained and dangerous machines. With rental companies you can also enforce geolocking for max speeds in CBD areas as well.

Tinkerisk

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#3122731 1-Sep-2023 16:50

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But I can also understand the UK's reverse approach. It's easier to regulate the rental companies than private scooter owners. Private scooters can be way over-powered (the 60kmph machines), or cheap, poorly maintained and dangerous machines. With rental companies you can also enforce geolocking for max speeds in CBD areas as well.

That is why we (GER) have a speed limit of 20km/h, compulsory registration and insurance with number plates, compulsory use of the road or cycle path (riding on the footpath is prohibited). The police patrol equipped with eBikes checks this and it can be expensive.

The main problem with rental scooters is that they are parked completely indiscriminately on pavements and between parked cars, where they cannot be seen because of their low height (or because they have been knocked over by the wind). Or suddenly there are 5 of them in front of your garage exit after charging, which you first have to push aside.

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Technofreak

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#3122835 2-Sep-2023 08:45

Tinkerisk:

Handsomedan:

In the UK they're going in the opposite direction - they're banning private scooters from the streets and only allowing rentals.

On principle, they do exactly the opposite of what seems more logical (or EU European). 😄

I thought that applied to the French, who, after all are the greatest country in Europe ....... if you listen to a Frenchman. 😎 It was a Frenchman who told me that the French will tell you they are the best lovers, have the best country, the best food and the best wine in the world and then added "You have to wonder why they ever want to leave France".

I was told the reason that UTC and GMT are not eactly the same time is becuase the French couldn't possibly adopt the GMT time for UTC, it had to be different.

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Technofreak

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#3122836 2-Sep-2023 08:57

Tinkerisk:

The main problem with rental scooters is that they are parked completely indiscriminately on pavements and between parked cars, where they cannot be seen because of their low height (or because they have been knocked over by the wind). Or suddenly there are 5 of them in front of your garage exit after charging, which you first have to push aside.

I liken them to McDonald's wrappers. People dump them where ever they've finished with them. Blockiing driveways and footpaths. I push them onto their side and onto the the grass out of the way. They're just a bl**dy nuisance.

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Tinkerisk

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#3123022 2-Sep-2023 16:39

Technofreak:

Tinkerisk:

On principle, they do exactly the opposite of what seems more logical (or EU European). 😄

I thought that applied to the French, who, after all are the greatest country in Europe ....... if you listen to a Frenchman. 😎 It was a Frenchman who told me that the French will tell you they are the best lovers, have the best country, the best food and the best wine in the world and then added "You have to wonder why they ever want to leave France".

I was told the reason that UTC and GMT are not eactly the same time is becuase the French couldn't possibly adopt the GMT time for UTC, it had to be different.

Well, c’est la grande Nation! You just have to let them believe that and all is well. They have long since started calling their computers "Computers" and not "Ordinateurs", just like everyone else in the world.

GMT cannot be the same (term) as UTC because of daylight saving time (applies to Greenwich as a location as well) and it is also the standard in aviation and other areas, not because this town is in the UK and not in France. People in Greenwich would get very confused with their watches when it would be the same. 😉

GMT Greenwich Mean Time

UTC Universal Time Coordinated

Tinkerisk

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#3123065 2-Sep-2023 20:01

btw: I have been to Greenwich UK several times to look at the chronometers on display at the Royal Observatory.

Highly recommended, as is Dava Sobel's book, “Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time“

lchiu7

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#3123127 2-Sep-2023 21:10

A few years ago on a European trip I rode Lime scooters both in Paris and Berlin. I already had a Lime account from riding in Lower Hutt.

As not somebody that experienced with riding scooters, I kept my riding in Paris along the banks of the Seine (more for a photo op than anything else) and in Berlin just a 10 minute ride from my hotel to the Reichstag. I did encounter a problem parking the scooter in Paris as the place I chose was not allowed for some reason. I can see the challenges of riding them generally - the traffic is crazy.

I am glad I had the chance as it looks like that's over.

Tangentially, Flamingo scooters say you must ride on the road of Lambton Quay, Willis Street, Manners Street and Courtenay Place, but the number of riders I have seen on the footpath on Lambton Quay clearly means the riders either don't care or don't read.

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#3123131 2-Sep-2023 21:35

Tinkerisk:

OT

btw: I have been to Greenwich UK several times to look at the chronometers on display at the Royal Observatory.

Highly recommended, as is Dava Sobel's book, “Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time“

Yes, an excellent book. There was a docu series called Longitude, I have it on DVD, made by Grenada Films for Channel 4, starring Michael Gambon, Jeremy Irons and Ian Hart

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Geektastic

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#3123214 3-Sep-2023 10:40

Handsomedan:

Reading social media posts, the fines being dished out are eye-watering.

Some are getting their scooters confiscated while others are getting tickets for not having road tax and insurance!
And they get points on their licence (if they have one).

Yes. You also get points from speed camera tickets in addition to the fine. There are 7,000 cameras in the U.K. compared to 142 in NZ.

That tells you something about the different attitude to Road safety between the two countries.

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#3123215 3-Sep-2023 10:42

Tinkerisk:
OT

btw: I have been to Greenwich UK several times to look at the chronometers on display at the Royal Observatory.

Highly recommended, as is Dava Sobel's book, “Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time“

I know a retired Chartered Surveyor in the U.K. who is related to John Harrison. Random fact.

BlakJak

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#3124832 7-Sep-2023 22:38

lchiu7:
A few years ago on a European trip I rode Lime scooters both in Paris and Berlin. I already had a Lime account from riding in Lower Hutt.

As not somebody that experienced with riding scooters, I kept my riding in Paris along the banks of the Seine (more for a photo op than anything else) and in Berlin just a 10 minute ride from my hotel to the Reichstag. I did encounter a problem parking the scooter in Paris as the place I chose was not allowed for some reason. I can see the challenges of riding them generally - the traffic is crazy.

I am glad I had the chance as it looks like that's over.

Tangentially, Flamingo scooters say you must ride on the road of Lambton Quay, Willis Street, Manners Street and Courtenay Place, but the number of riders I have seen on the footpath on Lambton Quay clearly means the riders either don't care or don't read.

I ride rental scooters in Wellington regularly, i'm aware of that rule, but it's context sensitive for me. I'm courteous on the footpaths, whereas sometimes the roads are just too chaotic to make sense for a scooter (especially given the questionable condition some of the rentals get into). As a rule i'm a fastidious rule follower, so you'll usually see me doing so.. but perhaps not 100% of the time.

I also make a point of parking out of the way and often go out of my way to select a unit that's parked badly when I go to rent one, just to do my little bit. I've toyed with buying my own scooter but part of the value in the rentals is that I can abandon them anywhere and not stress about loss-or-theft or about trying to bring them in the building for security (or charging).

They're a great cross-town connector in terms of time-saving and as a companion for rail commuting.

No signature to see here, move along...

Tinkerisk

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#3124836 7-Sep-2023 22:51

Nobody is against scooters, just against rental scooters, because they are often a source of annoyance and unnecessary danger. Honestly, what tourist informs himself about traffic rules and customs abroad when it is an apparent "toy" (compared to cars)?

Anyone who rides a scooter while drunk here and is caught doing so gets the same punishment as if he had been driving a car while drunk. For this reason, a scooter here also requires a road permit, as it is classified as a public road user and is therefore also subject to insurance and licence plate requirements. And if a particularly smart companion circumvents the 20km/h limit by means of a software app or sensor manipulation, eBike police officers will quickly find out by a simple test ride. For two tickets you can buy a brand new scooter. Don't think they're fun environmental cyclists - they're armed, have radios and have made noise tuned Lamborghini drivers walk home in the city centre within minutes. ;-)

Tinkerisk

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#3125539 10-Sep-2023 00:40

I just found out that our municipal transport company (in Hamburg) has banned eScooters of all kinds in the subways since end of August. Allegedly because in London and Madrid, according to a study, eScooter batteries have caught fire in the Tube and they are now scared with their narrow tubes. But this is pretty moronic to do in terms of a Tube/eScooter transport combination.

Because I'm about to get one of these in the next few months. 🤫

Tinkerisk

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#3129056 18-Sep-2023 17:41

They have realized that this was not a good idea and the ban is nowadays only valid until the security requirements are defined and compliance is checked. Otherwise it would be silly for me, as I have already picked out a particular certified eScooter for the-last-mile-ride.

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