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There was also that popup COVID cycle lane in London which got removed because of local campaign insisting it was causing increased congestion. When it was removed it was just full of parked cars 23 hours a day and made no difference to the traffic.
Not saying car drivers are all perfect, or a different breed because I see idiocy from locals every day, but idiot bikers only have themselves to blame for some of their accidents, they’re not all caused by car drivers, are they?
but the normal car drivers I’ve had pullout speaking on the phone have ranged from young to old
at least regular bikers aren t going to be yapping on the phone or texting While riding
Probably on tik Tok a guy recently got a load of supplies off a soft drink company after going viral riding along playing a fleetwood Mac song
As a cyclist, silent electric cars are probably a good thing. It will make most pedestrians look before they cross the road. At the moment, they don't hear anything and a lot just step out without looking.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
When I commuted from the Isle of Dogs to Spitalfields by bicycle, I used the cycling superhighway along Cable Street. The biggest hazards to me were the lycra warriors coming in to Canary Wharf who were "in the peloton" coming the other way and then suddenly popping out (without any vision of oncoming cyclists) into my lane going the other way so they could overtake. Otherwise it was a great experience, better than bus/DLR and useful exercise.
Where I live now has a growing number of "shared roadways" for bicycles and pedestrians. "Sporting" cyclists don't use them because they say the shared roadways have bad surfaces and so they need to put their expensive wheels on the road. There is a 10mph speed limit on these shared roadways, but I'm sure that's not a factor for these cyclists in their decision-making. E-scooter riders say they need to use the shared roadways because the roads have potholes. Surely they can't both be right?
Car drivers get angry because they're slowing down to 10mph for long periods because they cannot safely overtake a cyclist on the road riding right next to an empty shared roadway. Pedestrians get angry because they're having to keep an eye out for two-wheelers that creep up at speed (it's relative - 10mph is over 3x faster than 3mph) from behind and don't ring their bells (or don't have one). Some pedestrians are blind, of course. Or deaf. Or both.
The law is clear for the users of shared roadways, BTW - pedestrians have priority and two-wheelers need to look after pedestrians as they "share" the roadway.
I have to say I don't see a problem in e-scooters using the shared roadways if they're limited to 10mph, have a bell and are ridden responsibly by people who have the appropriate level of expertise and judgement to do so. Most of which doesn't exist right now.
In Bournemouth and Poole they're trialling e-scooters rented from Beryl Bikes right now. They're easy to spot, as they're usually two-up (illegal) on footpaths through public parks (illegal) and being used by riders who aren't old enough to have the driving license required to unlock and rent them in the first place (illegal).
Ho hum.... :-)
People are saying that the current 'typical' escooter rider is of the joyiding, inconsiderate variety. Bear in mind that save for official rental ones, these things are illegal. So, I may be generalising here, but I'd wager that in a Venn diagram of illegal and inconsiderate riders, there'd be a fairly large overlap.
So, if they do become legalised, we may find that riders generally are a lot more considerate than the current lot.
Personally, I think they look a great, eco-friendly way of getting around. Properly regulated, I think they would be a fantastic way of getting people out of cars, which is what we need to do, right?
The rules are here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-users
As always the issue here is policing of regulations, not the actual thing being regulated.
I also think it will open the floodgates to the great unwashed who might have been teetering on the brink of acquiring one. Knowing they’re legal means stealing one and making a clean getaway is one less thing on the charge sheet.
Ironically, I actually think the concept is a good one. Were they legal I might even buy one. But in reality they’ll be impossible to police, with more chance of winning the lottery than getting nicked, and as a result will be a threat to both pedestrians and other road users.
My scooter is for pavement/footpath use only. It's a Class 2 restricted to 4mph as it is illegal to drive faster than 4mph on pavement. They also must be fitted with a dead-man's brake if for example I go off into a Jazz trance or something.
Class 3 mobility scooters can drive on the road restricted to 8mph (15mph in Europe). For pavement use they must stick to 4mph (usually a preset control) They have to be registered with DVLA and comply with lighting and signalling regulations.
I admit there are bad mobility scooter drivers who drive their Class 3 scooters on pavement at 8mph which is illegal and also dangerous.