[code_sloth]

> However people should definitely not ride Birds on sidewalks (although a majority of people do).

This, is why we can't have good things. Because assholes ruin it for everyone.

Most electronic scooters I've encountered are on sidewalks and pavements, travelling at speeds that can injure pedestrains pretty badly.

It does seem (to me at least) that alot of these idiots take pride in their turning skills, weaving left and right, avoiding people at the last moment possible. Most people just have to stop moving and wait for the bikes to pass because their speed these things are travelling at, coupled with the distance they are away from them, leaves pretty much zero margin for their (the rider's) error. Theres literally nothing much you can do, except to hope they don't hit you.

Furthermore, these bike are pretty silent. When they come from behind, it's quite a shock to the pedestrain.

Its a nice innovation, but I'm inclined to towards heavy handed regulation towards these things because of assholes.

[clon]

I agree with you, the way people will inevitably use them makes them unsafe to be used in the vast majority of the US urban scene.

In Europe, for example Amsterdam or Berlin, it would be a different story, however. They fit very well to the existing comprehensive system of bike lanes. They have a similar speed and manoeuvrability and also both the pedestrians and cyclist are already well conditioned for avoiding each other. Try stepping onto a bike lane in Berlin - you will be feeling really stupid in a hurry.