I’ve owned a private e-scooter for many years and have been using it more often over the last year despite the fact that I also use my bikes for pretty much everything.

The main advantages that I would say put e-scooters ahead of ebikes is the extremely low maintenance, extremely high portability, and the general lower cost of entry, even to get a fairly decent one.

These scooters do lack carrying capacity, and obviously you aren’t getting a workout like you would even on an ebike. However, for short trips where the goal is to get to your destination without sweat and to be able to very neatly tuck this pretty much anywhere, then I think they absolutely have their place.

There had been a sharp increase in e-scooter riders this year, but we also have a rideshare e-scooter program that hasn’t been implemented yet this year due to some kind of contract negotiation issue. So I think a lot of people are just purchasing their own and using them instead of cars or public transit. So on one hand, it’s actually a good thing, but on the other hand, I also find that almost none are wearing helmets and quite a few are riding dangerously on sidewalks.

So there’s still a lot to learn. But this is fairly new tech, and there are going to be growing pains.

Younger children on these is dangerous, though. These are nothing like your traditional kick scooter that kids would normally be riding.

kids never even pretending to wear helmets on these things

someone i know was going for a walk and chanced upon a mangled child waiting for EMS to show up

52 per cent of all e-scooter injuries we’re seeing involve riders below the legal age

Do they at least give these people and their kids some sort of traffic rules class or something?

I don’t know what the answer here is, it seems like a job for Public Health.

Give away free bicycles? What was wrong with bicycles?

You’re talking about private ownership. I’m talking about the rental scooters. I don’t care if people own them as long as they aren’t the ones going 80km/h.

My problem is with the rental scooters people don’t know how to control/brake and squeeze on 2 people.

I only see 1 in 10 kids wearing a helmet

kids never even pretending to wear helmets on these things

someone i know was going for a walk and chanced upon a mangled child waiting for EMS to show up

52 per cent of all e-scooter injuries we’re seeing involve riders below the legal age

Do they at least give these people and their kids some sort of traffic rules class or something?

I don’t know what the answer here is, it seems like a job for Public Health.

Give away free bicycles? What was wrong with bicycles?

Yeah, rentals are a bit of a nuance around here too, but probably because they are still a novelty for many.

IMO, if you’re the type of person who rents often, it’s probably better to buy an e-scooter. The convenience, money saved, and comfort/performance benefits are going to be a massive advantage.

But I’d rather see idiots on rental e-scooters than idiots in multi-ton cars.

Good thing the auto industry is funding fear mongering against automated forms of mobility!

Everything around them is built for cars. When that’s the case, and you have no car (are underage to drive) you essentially have no freedom because you can’t go anywhere or do anything. Bikes are great, they are also exhausting and impractical to cover the distances that cars can. An e-scooter can get you there faster than a bike and without being exhausted. I think it gives these kids a taste of freedom and independence that they crave.

I’ve owned a private e-scooter for many years and have been using it more often over the last year despite the fact that I also use my bikes for pretty much everything.

The main advantages that I would say put e-scooters ahead of ebikes is the extremely low maintenance, extremely high portability, and the general lower cost of entry, even to get a fairly decent one.

These scooters do lack carrying capacity, and obviously you aren’t getting a workout like you would even on an ebike. However, for short trips where the goal is to get to your destination without sweat and to be able to very neatly tuck this pretty much anywhere, then I think they absolutely have their place.

There had been a sharp increase in e-scooter riders this year, but we also have a rideshare e-scooter program that hasn’t been implemented yet this year due to some kind of contract negotiation issue. So I think a lot of people are just purchasing their own and using them instead of cars or public transit. So on one hand, it’s actually a good thing, but on the other hand, I also find that almost none are wearing helmets and quite a few are riding dangerously on sidewalks.

So there’s still a lot to learn. But this is fairly new tech, and there are going to be growing pains.

Younger children on these is dangerous, though. These are nothing like your traditional kick scooter that kids would normally be riding.

Yeah, rentals are a bit of a nuance around here too, but probably because they are still a novelty for many.

IMO, if you’re the type of person who rents often, it’s probably better to buy an e-scooter. The convenience, money saved, and comfort/performance benefits are going to be a massive advantage.

But I’d rather see idiots on rental e-scooters than idiots in multi-ton cars.

She said collisions with motor vehicles is definitely the most dangerous aspect, but in all situations, these scooters require a certain level of skill and balance.

I love how they’re going out of their way to not admit this whole article is actually about cars running over kids on scooters.

I hate how much we protect drivers from accountability for their actions. If I go out and stab a kid for no reason I’m in jail for decades. If I run over enough kids on scooters they’ll write whole-ass articles arguing that “scooters are unsafe”

The should upgrade the infrustructure to be less shit.

What province? As some, private escooters are technically illegal to ride on the road or sidewalk they made exceptions for the company ones.

But that is not even what the article is saying. Read what you quoted. The article is about kids to young to legally ride these riding them and getting in accidents. Or they require a helmet and don’t wear one. The bikes have helmets attached to them why cant the scooters.

That’s your takeaway from this? Alarming rise in head injuries aren’t related to lack of helmet culture, but infrastructure?

I only see 1 in 10 kids wearing a helmet

I see a lot of people wearing helmets on bikes or ebikes. Not sure i have ever seen someone with a helmet on a scooter.

That’s your takeaway from this? Alarming rise in head injuries aren’t related to lack of helmet culture, but infrastructure?

Falls can be caused due to shitty infrastructure. Absolutely we need to improve helmet culture, but better infrastructure improves safety overall.