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> Today’s startups are promoting their products by following the same playbook as cars: get them on the street, and figure out how to regulate them afterward.
by Tiktaalik 9y ago
> Today’s startups are promoting their products by following the same playbook as cars: get them on the street, and figure out how to regulate them afterward.
> But cities are moving quicker this time. Austin and San Francisco have seized dozens of them. San Francisco has sent a cease and desist letter (paywall) to one company decrying the scooters as a “public nuisance” and “endangering public health and safety.”
Good. It's a shame that we weren't able to do the same with cars before they ruined North American cities.
- lolc 9y agoThe sad thing is that cars have had priority for so long it's hard to even imagine how it could be different. Now the scooters may boost the meager advances of bicycles.
- walshemj 9y agoYou know that horse's and horse riding are highly risky sports and also came with health risk's - the amount of horse poop in London as it grew was a major health issue. A parked car doesn't suddenly get spooked and lash out with its hooves does it.
- s0rce 9y agoWhile true, cars and horses aren't the only options. Trains, buses, bicycles, scooters, etc. also don't spook, take up less space, can reduce pollution and increase capacity.
- vaughanb 9y agoHorse manure was considered a serious risk in NYC. The banana skin (and the inevitable slip that followed) was a euphemism for slipping on horse manure in the street.