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Would it be okay if they were required to drive in bike lanes? I think public safety concerns such as the ones you raised are very important, but I feel slightl

Would it be okay if they were required to drive in bike lanes? I think public safety concerns such as the ones you raised are very important, but I feel slightly baffled at what I perceive as an almost curmudgeonly, visceral dislike for them :(

wavefunction 8y ago
I assume they would be required to use bike lanes in most American cities. I am concerned about the liability involved. A local journalist here in Austin was hit by a drunk guy on a scooter badly enough to dent her driver-side door and render the door inoperative. Then he claimed she hit him. His auto insurance, if he has any doesn't cover his usage of electric scooters. So she was facing a liability for fixing the car, perhaps some sort of insurance fraud on his part, AND her insurance was going to list an incidence of her "striking a pedestrian." Fortunately she found out there was some CCTV footage that exonerated her, but all of that just so some drunk a--hole can zoom around on a scooter and the scooter companies make money?
- tick_tock_tick 8y ago
  It sounds like it's the exact same situation as if they owned their own scooter or bike and crashed into the car.
- kinkrtyavimoodh 8y ago
  How does it typically work if I am riding my own bike or scooter and something like this accident happened? Most people don't carry liability insurance for their bicycles, skateboards etc.
  - dfxm12 8y ago
    If you get into an accident, call the cops. If the other party is drunk, they'll definitely make note of it. If you make a claim and the other party doesn't have insurance (it's unlikely the law requires someone to have liability insurance for their bike) and you need to make a claim, you could be SOL, but that's really a problem with how insurance companies operate.
linksnapzz 8y ago
In many cities, two-wheeled vehicles are required to not be on the sidewalk. I'll bet parent is equally annoyed by being almost run down by bicyclists while on the sidewalk....
- JoeAltmaier 8y ago
  All true. Bicycles can go 20mph, vs pedestrians' 2mph. Not a good fit. Scooters have to be even worse (heavier, worse collisions).
  - C1sc0cat 8y ago
    Faster than that I have see bikes going more than 20 in London - and blasting through junctions at a read light.
- codyb 8y ago
  I absolutely hate when bikes fly past me on the sidewalk. You can rarely hear them coming (I don't wear headphones or anything), and they'll zip by with enough speed to cause serious harm. What if I had stepped to the side? Or done a stretch and moved my arm to the side? I'm not trying to be in physical therapy for a year or more because you can't walk your bike from the nearest corner to wherever you intend to park it.
dfxm12 8y ago
Have some empathy. If something almost ran you over a few hours ago, it's perfectly normal to have a visceral dislike for it. As far as requiring these things be in bike lanes, it's all well and good to say that. But at least in my city, there seems to be a ton of confusion from bike riders, cars and pedestrians alike about what the exact laws are, let alone reliable enforcement of these laws. Cops are rarely going to see misuse anyway, so that wouldn't have helped the parent poster.

wavefunction 8y ago

I assume they would be required to use bike lanes in most American cities. I am concerned about the liability involved. A local journalist here in Austin was hit by a drunk guy on a scooter badly enough to dent her driver-side door and render the door inoperative. Then he claimed she hit him. His auto insurance, if he has any doesn't cover his usage of electric scooters. So she was facing a liability for fixing the car, perhaps some sort of insurance fraud on his part, AND her insurance was going to list an incidence of her "striking a pedestrian." Fortunately she found out there was some CCTV footage that exonerated her, but all of that just so some drunk a--hole can zoom around on a scooter and the scooter companies make money?

tick_tock_tick 8y ago
It sounds like it's the exact same situation as if they owned their own scooter or bike and crashed into the car.
kinkrtyavimoodh 8y ago
How does it typically work if I am riding my own bike or scooter and something like this accident happened? Most people don't carry liability insurance for their bicycles, skateboards etc.
- dfxm12 8y ago
  If you get into an accident, call the cops. If the other party is drunk, they'll definitely make note of it. If you make a claim and the other party doesn't have insurance (it's unlikely the law requires someone to have liability insurance for their bike) and you need to make a claim, you could be SOL, but that's really a problem with how insurance companies operate.

linksnapzz 8y ago

In many cities, two-wheeled vehicles are required to not be on the sidewalk. I'll bet parent is equally annoyed by being almost run down by bicyclists while on the sidewalk....

JoeAltmaier 8y ago
All true. Bicycles can go 20mph, vs pedestrians' 2mph. Not a good fit. Scooters have to be even worse (heavier, worse collisions).
- C1sc0cat 8y ago
  Faster than that I have see bikes going more than 20 in London - and blasting through junctions at a read light.
codyb 8y ago
I absolutely hate when bikes fly past me on the sidewalk. You can rarely hear them coming (I don't wear headphones or anything), and they'll zip by with enough speed to cause serious harm. What if I had stepped to the side? Or done a stretch and moved my arm to the side? I'm not trying to be in physical therapy for a year or more because you can't walk your bike from the nearest corner to wherever you intend to park it.

dfxm12 8y ago

Have some empathy. If something almost ran you over a few hours ago, it's perfectly normal to have a visceral dislike for it. As far as requiring these things be in bike lanes, it's all well and good to say that. But at least in my city, there seems to be a ton of confusion from bike riders, cars and pedestrians alike about what the exact laws are, let alone reliable enforcement of these laws. Cops are rarely going to see misuse anyway, so that wouldn't have helped the parent poster.