My gosh, now some stiffs have filed a lawsuit against the electric scooter companies! Can the Triangle have any fun?!! (Raleigh: loan, college)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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As Durham and Raleigh officials continue to ponder what to do about these incredibly fun scooters (y'all should try one if you haven't already) that you've probably seen throughout the Triangle, now the scooter companies are facing a lawsuit!!!
UGH!
People always wanna ruin the fun
The nation’s electronic-scooter companies are facing more blowback as concerns rise about the safety of these devices — this time in the form of a class-action lawsuit filed Friday in California. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accuses two of the largest e-scooter companies, Lime and Bird, as well as other e-scooter firms, of “gross negligence” and “aiding and abetting assault.”
...Three plaintiffs claim they were walking when e-scooter riders crashed into them from behind, resulting in severe injuries. The suit alleges that e-scooter companies knew their riders were injuring pedestrians and –– by failing to stop the collisions from occurring –– assisted and encouraged scooter riders as they committed “assaults.” -Washington Post
An assault suit seems pretty lame, but I have to say, I hate those things. They're left all over the place, making every street & sidewalk where they're ditched look trashy. A lot of the time, they're in unsafe places. They impede other people. They make our cities look like crap. Oh yeah, and the people riding them are often rude and stupid and unsafe. What's to like about them? The companies that own them are making a killing, and the cities (and their citizens) are bearing the brunt of it.
ETA: I'm sure the OP is one of the few who rides safely, wears a helmet, and always leaves his/her scooter in a safe place out of the way. Right, OP?
... but I have to say, I hate those things. They're left all over the place, making every street & sidewalk where they're ditched look trashy. A lot of the time, they're in unsafe places. They impede other people. They make our cities look like crap. Oh yeah, and the people riding them are often rude and stupid and unsafe. What's to like about them? The companies that own them are making a killing, and the cities (and their citizens) are bearing the brunt of it.
ETA: I'm sure the OP is one of the few who rides safely, wears a helmet, and always leaves his/her scooter in a safe place out of the way. Right, OP?
On cue... here comes the throng of CD members being all curmudgeon-y.
Of course.... filed in California. Why am I not surprised? It was only a matter of time anyways. Besides, most people know the risk of riding with no helmet so why bother?
The aesthetics of a couple scooters on the sidewalk is minuscule compared to how ugly roadways clogged with cars looks and giant Walmart and Target parking lots of asphalt to accommodate cars that spend most of their time sitting.
This isn't exactly pretty to look at. The scooters are new so we notice them. I don't see anybody complaining about ugly cars that take up massive amounts of space being everywhere. The scooters allow people to complete short rides rather than jumping in a hulking Chevy Tahoe barreling down the road just to go one mile and run an errand where they need to park their ugly Chevy Tahoe in a 10 acre parking lot with six token stick trees.
On cue... here comes the throng of CD members being all curmudgeon-y.
So we all have to like them or else we're being "curmudgeon-y"?
I saw them for the first time last week, and I have to say I'm not crazy about seeing them laying around everywhere like toys abandoned on the playground.
On cue... here comes the throng of CD members being all curmudgeon-y.
This is not a local discussion. The suit is in CA, and would presumably cover all locations. Nothing unique to the triangle.
As for the scooters: I think they are pretty cool, but they were introduced in a disingenuous way. Unfortunately, lawsuits is how things get done in America. They need have some basic guidelines:
-I don't care about helmets, but there should be (and I think there are) warnings.
-They should be docked, or otherwise find a way to keep them from laying in the streets and sidwalks.
-There needs to be rules. They are actually vehicles, and should not be on the sidewalks
-Yet they are not really cars, and should not mingle with traffic
-Gotta figure out a balance for those two^, and mostly get people using them somewhat consistently
If you want to have nice things, then more thought needs to go into it. If I were walking on a clean sidewalk and tripped and hurt myself due to a misplaced scooter that DOES NOT belong on the sidewalk, I'd be tempted to sue (but probably wouldn't). If I got mowed down from behind, on a SIDEWALK, I'd be tempted. If I were driving legally, and some D-B zipped out in front of me, causing injury to them, me or others, I'd definitely be upset.
I'd like to see them succeed, but so far, the companies putting them out there are not on a good track.
So we all have to like them or else we're being "curmudgeon-y"?
...
Not necessarily but your language is very "curmudgeon-y" ... that happens here a lot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CLT4
The aesthetics of a couple scooters on the sidewalk is minuscule compared to how ugly roadways clogged with cars looks and giant Walmart and Target parking lots of asphalt to accommodate cars that spend most of their time sitting.
This isn't exactly pretty to look at. The scooters are new so we notice them. I don't see anybody complaining about ugly cars that take up massive amounts of space being everywhere.
Thank you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Myghost
This is not a local discussion. The suit is in CA, and would presumably cover all locations. Nothing unique to the triangle.
As for the scooters: I think they are pretty cool, but they were introduced in a disingenuous way. Unfortunately, lawsuits is how things get done in America. They need have some basic guidelines:
-I don't care about helmets, but there should be (and I think there are) warnings.
-They should be docked, or otherwise find a way to keep them from laying in the streets and sidwalks.
-There needs to be rules. They are actually vehicles, and should not be on the sidewalks
-Yet they are not really cars, and should not mingle with traffic
-Gotta figure out a balance for those two^, and mostly get people using them somewhat consistently
If you want to have nice things, then more thought needs to go into it. If I were walking on a clean sidewalk and tripped and hurt myself due to a misplaced scooter that DOES NOT belong on the sidewalk, I'd be tempted to sue (but probably wouldn't). If I got mowed down from behind, on a SIDEWALK, I'd be tempted. If I were driving legally, and some D-B zipped out in front of me, causing injury to them, me or others, I'd definitely be upset.
I'd like to see them succeed, but so far, the companies putting them out there are not on a good track.
As for the scooters: I think they are pretty cool, but they were introduced in a disingenuous way. Unfortunately, lawsuits is how things get done in America. They need have some basic guidelines:
-I don't care about helmets, but there should be (and I think there are) warnings.
-They should be docked, or otherwise find a way to keep them from laying in the streets and sidewalks.
-There needs to be rules. They are actually vehicles, and should not be on the sidewalks
-Yet they are not really cars, and should not mingle with traffic
-Gotta figure out a balance for those two^, and mostly get people using them somewhat consistently
If you want to have nice things, then more thought needs to go into it. If I were walking on a clean sidewalk and tripped and hurt myself due to a misplaced scooter that DOES NOT belong on the sidewalk, I'd be tempted to sue (but probably wouldn't). If I got mowed down from behind, on a SIDEWALK, I'd be tempted. If I were driving legally, and some D-B zipped out in front of me, causing injury to them, me or others, I'd definitely be upset.
I'd like to see them succeed, but so far, the companies putting them out there are not on a good track.
I think this sums it up well. I haven't heard anyone say that the scooters don't have a place - they most certainly do - but there should be some common sense rules around them and the way they were introduced was not that of a company wishing to establish a good relationship with the city.
City of Raleigh (and most other cities) prohibit "motorized vehicles" from being operated on sidewalks.
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