4 ms·

America is not the Bay Area. Those short trips are across town to pick up the kids at school or take them to sports or go grocery shopping or other errands. In

America is not the Bay Area. Those short trips are across town to pick up the kids at school or take them to sports or go grocery shopping or other errands. In the snow. Uphill. Both ways. Nobody is going to use a scooter or an e-bike for that. If someone made an electric minivan, sure, that might soak up most of those trips, but for some reason nobody makes one.

stellar678 8y ago
Well, if you say so. Clearly your opinion about people's travel has a lot more validity than the research conducted by the American (err, United States) Federal Highway Administration.
- MBCook 8y ago
  It doesn’t matter if it’s a 5 mile trip. What if three of that’s on the highway? Is that little electric scooter going to do 70 safely with all the SUVs around weaving in and out? Without me getting squashed? And when it’s snowing heavily? And maybe there’s already a foot on the ground, plus a whole bunch of ice? You think a lot of people are going to want to do their 5 miles then? Being on a motorcycle is pretty dangerous because cars don’t watch out for you. Being on a bicycle is far worse. Being on a little electric scooter on “real“ roads sounds like a death trap (again, saying nothing of large roads/highways). Don’t say scooter lanes. That doesn’t seem to protect bicyclists. Yes, all this can change. But right now it’s a BIG issue for small transportation replacing cars. I’ve seen one or two people in the suburbs around me using tiny segues or high quality hoverboards. I just can’t see that catching on for any realistically sized group of the population the way everything works right now.
  - jacquesm 8y ago
    5 mile trips with three of those on the highway typically have alternatives with all 5 off the highway.
HarryHirsch 8y ago
It would be progress if the kids could get their own electric scooter to go to school or soccer training. It would increase their social skills, it can't be good to be dependent on the parents for everything when cooped up in an exurban paradise.
- stellar678 8y ago
  Excellent point! California just passed a bill that won't allow high school or middle school to start earlier than 8:30am because there is reams of research showing that early starts cause worse learning and development outcomes. Lots of people are up in arms because they need their kids' schedule to fit around their work schedule so they can drive them everywhere. Somehow it's just too hard for them to envision setting things up so the kids are safe with a greater level of autonomy and can maybe get themselves to school.
  - aetherson 8y ago
    In all fairness, people (rarely) call the cops on parents who let their kids walk around unsupervised, and commonly heap scorn on them as bad parents.
    - benplumley 8y ago
      Is "wasting police time" not a cause for a caution/small fine in the US?
- perl4ever 8y ago
  Does an electric scooter increase social skills more than a bicycle?
- gfodor 8y ago
  Kids used to ride bicycles everywhere, but they don't anymore. The gating function isn't the capacity for kids to transport themselves around.
  - 8y ago
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
colordrops 8y ago
The Model X is sort of an electric minivan, though an expensive one. Cheaper ones are coming. The Pacifica hybrid can get 30 or 40 miles on pure electric.

stellar678 8y ago

Well, if you say so. Clearly your opinion about people's travel has a lot more validity than the research conducted by the American (err, United States) Federal Highway Administration.

MBCook 8y ago
It doesn’t matter if it’s a 5 mile trip. What if three of that’s on the highway? Is that little electric scooter going to do 70 safely with all the SUVs around weaving in and out? Without me getting squashed? And when it’s snowing heavily? And maybe there’s already a foot on the ground, plus a whole bunch of ice? You think a lot of people are going to want to do their 5 miles then? Being on a motorcycle is pretty dangerous because cars don’t watch out for you. Being on a bicycle is far worse. Being on a little electric scooter on “real“ roads sounds like a death trap (again, saying nothing of large roads/highways). Don’t say scooter lanes. That doesn’t seem to protect bicyclists. Yes, all this can change. But right now it’s a BIG issue for small transportation replacing cars. I’ve seen one or two people in the suburbs around me using tiny segues or high quality hoverboards. I just can’t see that catching on for any realistically sized group of the population the way everything works right now.
- jacquesm 8y ago
  5 mile trips with three of those on the highway typically have alternatives with all 5 off the highway.

HarryHirsch 8y ago

It would be progress if the kids could get their own electric scooter to go to school or soccer training. It would increase their social skills, it can't be good to be dependent on the parents for everything when cooped up in an exurban paradise.

stellar678 8y ago
Excellent point! California just passed a bill that won't allow high school or middle school to start earlier than 8:30am because there is reams of research showing that early starts cause worse learning and development outcomes. Lots of people are up in arms because they need their kids' schedule to fit around their work schedule so they can drive them everywhere. Somehow it's just too hard for them to envision setting things up so the kids are safe with a greater level of autonomy and can maybe get themselves to school.
- aetherson 8y ago
  In all fairness, people (rarely) call the cops on parents who let their kids walk around unsupervised, and commonly heap scorn on them as bad parents.
  - benplumley 8y ago
    Is "wasting police time" not a cause for a caution/small fine in the US?
perl4ever 8y ago
Does an electric scooter increase social skills more than a bicycle?
gfodor 8y ago
Kids used to ride bicycles everywhere, but they don't anymore. The gating function isn't the capacity for kids to transport themselves around.
- 8y ago

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

colordrops 8y ago

The Model X is sort of an electric minivan, though an expensive one. Cheaper ones are coming. The Pacifica hybrid can get 30 or 40 miles on pure electric.