4 ms·

Functionally this is the easiest problem in the world to solve. It's the same solution for scooters and dockless bikeshare. Take two parking spots in each bloc

Functionally this is the easiest problem in the world to solve. It's the same solution for scooters and dockless bikeshare. Take two parking spots in each block. Put beacons on the corners or some kind of signaling tape around the whole thing. Only let users drop off rides inside that spot. Bonus points for having non-locking racks to help organize. People get to litter their car on the side of my road, often in the bike lane for free and everyone walks around like it's okay. It's not. Neither are the scooters on the sidewalk. We know how to solve both problems. Parking spots for dockless transit and banning cars from transit and pedestrian rich neighborhoods. [edit] I removed a line saying I was annoyed that people kept complaining the scooter parking situation. Those complaints point out a very real problem with scooter deployments and that we have a solution for it that is difficult to get passed doesn't make the complaint less valid.

cortesoft 8y ago
Right, this is all part of the process, and I am not saying it is insurmountable. When cars first came around, we had no parking laws. Now we do. We need the parking laws for scooters.
- L_Rahman 8y ago
  This is a very fair response and I completely agree with you. In fact, I would argue that part of the negotiation that cities ought to do with Bird and Lime and others like it is to make any deploy conditional on the passage of and adherence to scooter parking laws.
jakevn 8y ago
People keep bringing up this problem because it's still a problem. If it's so easy to solve, why is it not solved? Cities should simply impound any scooter not properly parked and charge $200 to get it back. Since solving the parking problem is so easy, this will push Bird/Lime into finally solving it.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- necubi 8y ago
  It's not easy to solve because people go ballistic if you suggest removing even a single parking space. See for example the 30+ year struggle to develop bus rapid transit on Geary in SF [0], or the effort Bay Area Bikeshare has to go through to get each and every dock approved by the city [1]. Fundamentally the problem is that car-owners currently receive an enormous subsidy in the form of cheap or free street parking and they jealously guard that privilege, even in supposedly progressive cities like San Francisco. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geary_Bus_Rapid_Transit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geary_Bus_Rapid_Transit [1] https://www.thebaycitybeacon.com/politics/dude-where-s-my-bike-share/article_4b9aee64-d007-11e8-8ae1-0f03795d6a7c.html https://www.thebaycitybeacon.com/politics/dude-where-s-my-bi...
- prawn 8y ago
  Because people on the whole are incredibly resistant to even a tiny loss in street parking. Swapping out a carpark for a parklet that incorporates scooter parking can generate uproar. And action would need to come from the city/council side. Whenever there is talk of changes to street parking, businesses are outraged at the removal of convenience for their customers. (In most cases, I think they're actually upset at the loss of convenience for their own parking.)
- L_Rahman 8y ago
  I think the other responses summarize the problem quite accurately. In fact, I alluded to it when I mentioned the littering of cars. People who park cars believe in an inherent first claim to all roadside space above other users and they are extremely aggressive in their resistance to even the slightest loss.
  - cortesoft 8y ago
    I think you are being a little unfair to say ALL car parkers feel they own all space next to roads. I am sure some do, but I am a car driver who is happy to give up some space for other forms of transportation. I think there is a happy balance to be found.

cortesoft 8y ago

Right, this is all part of the process, and I am not saying it is insurmountable. When cars first came around, we had no parking laws. Now we do. We need the parking laws for scooters.

L_Rahman 8y ago
This is a very fair response and I completely agree with you. In fact, I would argue that part of the negotiation that cities ought to do with Bird and Lime and others like it is to make any deploy conditional on the passage of and adherence to scooter parking laws.

jakevn 8y ago

People keep bringing up this problem because it's still a problem. If it's so easy to solve, why is it not solved? Cities should simply impound any scooter not properly parked and charge $200 to get it back. Since solving the parking problem is so easy, this will push Bird/Lime into finally solving it.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
necubi 8y ago
It's not easy to solve because people go ballistic if you suggest removing even a single parking space. See for example the 30+ year struggle to develop bus rapid transit on Geary in SF [0], or the effort Bay Area Bikeshare has to go through to get each and every dock approved by the city [1]. Fundamentally the problem is that car-owners currently receive an enormous subsidy in the form of cheap or free street parking and they jealously guard that privilege, even in supposedly progressive cities like San Francisco. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geary_Bus_Rapid_Transit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geary_Bus_Rapid_Transit [1] https://www.thebaycitybeacon.com/politics/dude-where-s-my-bike-share/article_4b9aee64-d007-11e8-8ae1-0f03795d6a7c.html https://www.thebaycitybeacon.com/politics/dude-where-s-my-bi...
prawn 8y ago
Because people on the whole are incredibly resistant to even a tiny loss in street parking. Swapping out a carpark for a parklet that incorporates scooter parking can generate uproar. And action would need to come from the city/council side. Whenever there is talk of changes to street parking, businesses are outraged at the removal of convenience for their customers. (In most cases, I think they're actually upset at the loss of convenience for their own parking.)
L_Rahman 8y ago
I think the other responses summarize the problem quite accurately. In fact, I alluded to it when I mentioned the littering of cars. People who park cars believe in an inherent first claim to all roadside space above other users and they are extremely aggressive in their resistance to even the slightest loss.
- cortesoft 8y ago
  I think you are being a little unfair to say ALL car parkers feel they own all space next to roads. I am sure some do, but I am a car driver who is happy to give up some space for other forms of transportation. I think there is a happy balance to be found.