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Worth noting that those Bird and Lime scooters are illegal in some countries, like the UK. Bird cannot expand to the UK without laws changing (which I'm sure th
by madeofpalk 8y ago
Worth noting that those Bird and Lime scooters are illegal in some countries, like the UK. Bird cannot expand to the UK without laws changing (which I'm sure there's plenty of lobbying going on to ensure).
- aventrix 8y agoCan you elaborate on the legality? In what way are they illegal?
- vinay427 8y agoThis is fairly easy to investigate online, but here's an article I found for example: https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/gadget/is-it-legal-ride-electric-scooter-in-uk-3668712/ https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/gadget/is-it-leg...
- madeofpalk 8y agoThey're illegal in the same way that if you sticking four wheels on a fridge and driving it down the street is also illegal. They're not road worthy, and you can't use them on footpaths in the same way you can't cycle on footpaths.
- zethraeus 8y agoFWIW I was just in london and saw a bunch of people riding their own Mi scooters in the street. (That's the same scooter Bird uses.)
- madeofpalk 8y agoSure, and people smoke week or break the speed limit despite the legality.
- drb91 8y agoErr, why is it illegal? They're more than fast enough to keep up with bike traffic in the city, especially if there are dedicated lanes.
- vertex-four 8y agoBasically, the laws say that your vehicle must be licensed to be used on a road unless it’s a bicycle/pedal assist bike/a few other categories, and there’s no mechanism for licensing some of the newer transport options. The laws also say that a vehicle can’t be used on the pavement at all, so there’s no way they can be used on a public road at all. And have you ever seen a picture of most British cities - there’s barely enough room for cars and pedestrians sometimes, never mind a whole separate lane for cyclists/etc.
- cjrp 8y agoI'm seeing more and more on my commute, but it's the difference between a few people buying their own from Alibaba and a company installing them across the city. The former's unlikely to draw attention from the police, the latter much more so.
- cjrp 8y agoMotor vehicles require a license plate and insurance to be legal