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by rad_gruchalski
1578 days ago
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I haven’t, one of these things knocked me out unconscious while I was waiting for green light to cross the road. It came from the side, hit me, I landed in the middle of the street. Happened right in front of the central station in Antwerpen. Just imagine how confused you are waking up laying in the middle of the road while a paramedic smacks you in the face and asks you if you know what your name is. I’m going to spare the details for how long the grit I landed with my face on was coming out of my nose and the chin. I don’t understand how it’s okay for these scooters to be legal. They are so quiet and so fast. They can come from any direction and you’ll not hear a thing. Apparently that’s what is so appealing about them. I mean, with a car there are at least some clearly defined rules. Barring mental people, everyone drives on the roads, within clearly defined lanes while we walk on the sidewalk. These scooters are everywhere! |
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Oxford:
- requires a driver's license
- capped at 12mph
- highly granular 0/5/8/12mph zones (boundaries are a bit spotty, but will likely get better with time)
- only allowed to park at predefined parking spots
- decent bike/e-scooter infrastructure
- loud
- private scooters are illegal and common
Munich:
- driver's license not required
- capped at 20km/h
- allowed to park anywhere
- great bike/e-scooter infrastructure
- quiet
- private scooters are legal and rare
The speed limit in Antwerpen is 25km/h. From my experience of driving in Prague, which also has a 25km/h speed limit, (omitted above because I haven't seen many people driving there), the difference in vehicle control when driving at 20km/h vs 25km/h is enormous. At 20km/h, the braking distance is ~2m, the turning radius is small, and hopping off the scooter to avoid a collision feels safe. Driving among car traffic is smoother at 25km/h, but it doesn't feel safe to hop off at that speed and the turning radius feels twice the 20km/h value.