Confessions of an e-scooter commuter

These include which bike paths are great and which are horrible, how bad Google Maps is at identifying the difference (I’ve started using an app called Komoot to plan routes), and the joy of all the fun micro-interactions with other people out and about—when they blindly walk backward onto a bike path, or try to overtake you and then slow down.

Generally, I try to get out when the sun is up, which allows me to get to work earlier, leave work earlier, beat rush hour (although I did underestimate my need for cold weather gear initially), and have a mostly peaceful commute.

On the way home I avoided the CBD in favour of the Capital City Walk, a way to breathe in the beauty of Melbourne you don’t often get to see, although some of the inclines made walking difficult and the 2m-wide tunnels nearly caused me to fall.

Other trails I’ve taken are too narrow for two bikes abreast, let alone scooters. That said, scooters, while a good match to our existing bike infrastructure (albeit imperfect), are not perfect, and adjustments or guidance may be needed as scooter numbers increase.

Obey speed limits

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I also considered that I might be the only rider in the city who was aware (or possibly the only one who cared) that Victoria’s e-scooter speed limit was 20 km/h.

Obviously, my perception is biased—it stands to reason that I won’t encounter people going 20 mph because neither of us will pass each other—but on every trip, I’ve been passed multiple times by scooters going much faster than I am. To be clear, these aren’t the young people cruising around as imagined in media reports, they’re adult professionals like me.

My scooter is configured by the manufacturer to go up to 25 km/h. If it could go faster it would be illegal to ride in public in Australia, but most speeders I’ve seen easily exceed that speed.

This suggests that the scooters are either overseas models or have been modified domestically using custom firmware updates, which is not difficult.

In Victoria, the enforced 20mph speed limit means you’re usually the slowest vehicle on any road, and I imagine that’s largely the same in states that allow 25mph, but by dodging the law and riding wherever they please, some riders are clearly making the situation more dangerous for everyone.

Scooters are far less stable than motorcycles, and many have no suspension (this is even more true for all the riders of electric skateboards and self-balancing unicycles, which are definitely not street legal).

Fortunately, I haven’t had any crashes or incidents, but you can feel how a little uneven road or unexpected bump can rock you if you don’t see ahead of time and shift your weight back. Likewise, I can see how slamming on the brakes at highway speeds can shift your body forward and make it hard to maintain control.

Since I bought a scooter, I’ve been frequently referred to posts on the scooter community on Reddit, which are almost exclusively about people getting into horrific accidents. Granted, these are mostly from the US, and tend to happen while driving on the road at 50km/h to 100km/h, but it clearly shows that we’re only just beginning to determine speed limits, so it’s best to start at the lower legal speeds.

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This brings me to some specific thoughts about rental scooters. While I’ve spotted a few speeders on quiet bike lanes, I’ve yet to see a single person riding their electric scooter in a blatantly reckless or dangerous manner. But, like most people, I’ve also seen helmetless idiots zipping down city sidewalks on Lime. To me, this doesn’t mean we should ban rental scooters, which give people the same freedom of mobility as buying a scooter, but without the charging, locking, and maintenance. It does mean we should find ways to make people care more.

I wouldn’t leave my $1,300 scooter on the sidewalk or risk a fender breaker by slamming on a speed bump, so why not hold renters financially responsible for those actions, too?

Introduce a card limit system. Install cameras to detect sidewalk riding and helmets. Provide clear resources to ensure people know the rules. Maybe limit the rides of new renters so they have the best chance of adapting.

I don’t want to discount the dangers posed by reckless or inexperienced people getting on a scooter and riding it at full speed on the sidewalk, and I know the above won’t deter those determined to break the rules.

But I also don’t want individual illegal actions to overshadow the potential benefits of these devices, which allow people to freely explore and navigate cities and neighborhoods without relying on cars, public transit routes, or the skills and physical strength required to use a bicycle.

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