I don’t want to be the curmudgeon I’ve become, but these lime bikes are a nuisance, to me at least.
They are dumped everywhere and are heavy to move out of the way. So, I’d like to ask the community if it’s just me, and/or if something should be done to address this issue/problem.
In other cities, you must return the e-bike to any charging station (at stations, shops, schools, etc.) to end your ride; this being the infrastructure that we don’t have.
After I thought deeply as to how horribly insensitive of a human I am, for 3-5 seconds, I then thought well maybe the company could incentivize a rider by giving them a dollar for being responsible.
This has the added benefit of the rider possibly realizing that other people use the sidewalks too and now I’m a considerate person with an extra dollar.
I know people in wheelchairs exist. I see them hugging the side of the street on Linden Ave N. Honestly, that’s because we have no continuous sidewalks on Linden Ave N, though we have begged the city and were promised them, which has been about a decade now.
(Side note: if your kid goes to Shorewood HS and walks to Fred Meyer for lunch, they all walk in the street. I also hear the vroom of cars fly past these kids. I don’t know what the Doppler Effect is, but I know the sound of a car going double the speed limit.)
Anyway, I do see a necessary need for e-bikes for many practical reasons.
All I’m asking is to end this laissez-faire attitude of governing and proactively address these types of situations that arise, and specifically how we can all get around safely within our community - all of us.
Michael Bachety
Shoreline
I agree with you wholeheartedly! These Lime bikes & scooters are a royal pain in my back end when I'm trying to stay safe on what sidewalks we have. Shame on the city for ignoring this issue.
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone. Paris France banned the use of e-scooters including lime bikes. Germany is coming down hard with liability laws on e-scooters. The anti-car pro electric crowd thought them to be the wave of the future, but in Europe at least, people and kids are killing and injuring themselves at record rates (not to mention the metal littering).
ReplyDeleteLast week I saw two young elementary school boys in the parking lot of Thriftway on Ballinger on Lime Bikes. They were having a ball playing chicken with the cars who were trying to not hit them.
Thank you. Add to it the lack of enforcement regarding kids on unlicensed electric motorcycles weaving between sidewalks and streets at 30+mph.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same. I thought they were a great idea at first, but without a designated return location and no accountability by the users, they are dumped haphazardly on sidewalks and in parking areas, making it difficult for those with mobility issues to navigate walking areas, as well as making the neighborhoods look trashy when they are just dumped in the bushes or the street. Nice idea, but the lack of consideration by many users has switched my opinion to them being a nuisance.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%. These bikes and scooters are almost always left in such a way that they block the sidewalk. Maybe it will take someone who uses a wheelchair to sue them before something is done.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%, Michael. I can get around these obstacles, but they are more than just a nuisance for many other people in our community. Users - please be more careful about where you leave these bikes and scooters.
ReplyDeleteThank you for remembering those of us in wheelchairs (or using walkers)!
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing about this Michael. I have several photos of Lime Bikes parked right in the wheelchair ramps. Public Works makes a important argument sidewalks need to be wheelchair accessible. A single Lime Bike defeats the enormous expense of sidewalks. I also see riders using the bikes without helmets, in the middle of the streets after dark. This is so dangerous and I worry about them being killed by a driver who just doesn't see them in time to swerve or stop. We need the bike users and the public in general to get educated about when, where and how to safely use these bikes safely and with consideration for others.
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