<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA0MzA4My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0OTc4NjQzOX0.17Eou-w7r67GM-J-r82OW9oQKTOttmYlU5DfRtR9vx0/img.jpg?width=980" id="3f139" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8f685e10c3d9e8c002f7b6a5b9d76fcf" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption..."><a href="https://thesocialedgen.wpengine.com/news/weird-news/electric-scooter-vandals-california/attachment/screen-shot-2018-10-09-at-1-53-40-pm/" rel="attachment wp-att-42971"></a> birdgraveyard/Instagram</small></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They throw them everywhere: in the ocean, in the sand, in the trash can,” </span><a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bird-scooter-vandalism-20180809-story.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said Robert Johnson Bey</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a Venice Beach, California, maintenance worker. “Sunday, I was finding kickstands everywhere,” Bey said. “Looked like they were snapped off.”</span></p><p><div data-conversation-spotlight=""></div></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The scooters, which have an estimated value of about $1,000, cost users just $1 to unlock and 15 cents per minute to ride, making them an affordable, environmentally friendly alternative to urban gridlock and public transportation. But they have been met with bureaucratic dismay in many cities due to their unregulated and difficult to categorize nature, and because the scooters are often scattered around at street corners, in unsightly piles, in the middle of sidewalks, </span><a href="https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/west-ada/article219213920.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">on wheelchair ramps</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and wherever they may end up. Likewise, citizens who don’t love them seem to hate them, or the companies that own them, or the people who ride them, or scooters in general purely as a symptom of change.</span></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjA0MzA4NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzkxODQwOH0.RgUvcVmLYniJrx6wrxxcS82j25NEByp5xvhgM8AHamY/img.jpg?width=980" id="7af18" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5503b0204858e782681ff7d611cf6cf5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption..."><a href="https://thesocialedgen.wpengine.com/news/weird-news/electric-scooter-vandals-california/attachment/screen-shot-2018-10-09-at-1-54-53-pm/" rel="attachment wp-att-42972"></a> birdgraveyard/Instagram</small></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The scooters zip along sidewalks at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour, generating animosity from pedestrians. Some cities have </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/scooter-use-is-rising-in-major-cities-so-are-trips-to-the-emergency-room/2018/09/06/53d6a8d4-abd6-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?utm_term=.da3a839c4af8"><span style="font-weight: 400;">questions about safety</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, as emergency room doctors report a sudden onslaught of scooter-related broken bones, concussions, and other injuries. Worse, fatalities have occurred in several cities as inexperienced riders meet unprepared automobiles.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"You have a public that hasn't been aware of the inherent dangers in what they see as a fun recreational vehicle," </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/29/health/scooter-injuries/index.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said Dr. Sam Torbati</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, co-chair of the emergency department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. "They're no safer than any other motorized vehicles, and in some ways, are more dangerous than a bicycle."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Seattle banned scooters, although some scooter supporters note that when the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which runs through downtown, closes for reconstruction in January 2019, a Seattle that is already facing crushing traffic will become even more difficult for car commuters. Scooters could bring some relief by reducing the number of cars stuck in traffic.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“January’s viaduct closure will be acutely felt by everyone traveling,” </span><a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle-embraced-dockless-bike-shares-but-bans-scooter-ones-how-come/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said Jonathan Hopkins</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, director of Commute Seattle, a nonprofit that contracts with the city. “Just like walking, biking, transit and telework, scooters can be effective tools to reduce car trips, save limited road space and reduce congestion.”</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Scooters, bikes, e-bikes, we should be trying them all right now because we don’t have a lot of options that are going to continue to move through downtown,” said Gabriel Scheer, director of strategic development for Lime. “They will get through traffic when cars won’t.”</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ultimately, that message might win over the haters. Every scooter in motion frees up road and parking spaces for cars, reducing congestion and pollution. There are just a few growing pains as the vehicles enter unregulated cityscapes and people get used to the new mode. Regulations could help, as right now most cities don’t specify whether scooters should stay on the streets or on sidewalks, whether riders should be compelled to wear helmets, and how dockless scooters should be stored. One thing is certain though: Riding while under the influence is not cool.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Los Angeles has not pursued most of the vandals who have destroyed or damaged the scooters in the city, it fined a</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Los Angeles man $550 plus restitution for riding an electric scooter while intoxicated and knocking over a 64-year-old pedestrian on a sidewalk. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is the city’s first </span><a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Los-Angeles-has-first-electric-scooter-DUI-case-13265689.php"><span style="font-weight: 400;">scooter-related DUI</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Or should that be SUI?</span></p>
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