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.
ReplyDeleteWhen I contacted the city about bikes left behind on my street, they told me to contact the company directly thru a website. Not exactly the most helpful response.
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.
ReplyDeleteAnd, our law enforcement needs to start enforcing laws. Impound the privately owned e-bikes and scooters if they’re being used unlawfully.
DeleteI agree. My brother is legally blind and lime bikes and are a terrible hazard to him and everyone else who works at lighthouse for the blind. These poor people can't event see the lime bikes and scooters strewn across the sidewalk, and they end up crashing into them or tripping over them. Nevermind the people in wheelchairs who don't have the ability to move the scooters out of intersections so they can pass. And your average senior, who doesn’t have the strength and balance to move them. Get rid of them or fine the last renter, who didn't leave the scooter in a safe place. And make some public service announcements, educating people about the hazards that improper storage these vehicles cause to vulnerable people.
DeleteIronic. About an hour ago I just saw a dude picking up these bikes and putting them in the back of his truck...I guessed it was the city doing it???
ReplyDeleteI believe some of the Lime bikes left in groups were probably recharged overnight by those who are payed to do so, and then they’re dropped off randomly, wherever is quickest for the Charger. Short of getting humans to just do what’s considerate of others, I suppose there’s a high tech (expensive) solution coming soon…
ReplyDeleteAgreed Michael; Seattle is now painting "bike areas" for users to return bikes to. I'm not sure how this is being rolled out or enforced. Also Seattle prints rules on the bikes, one is that bikes are not allowed to ride on sidewalks. I also hope that we return to helmet laws, Spokane and Pierce County have both re-instated a helmet law. I bike and was horrified to read about the head on crash in NYC between a biker and an e-bike (both riders died). I was also horrified to see- on BGT recently- 2 scooters with two kids each, all under 10, with no helmets. The electric bike idea is fantastic- but it risks being shut down if guidelines/ laws are not implemented and enforced. If Lime cannot provide helmets, they should crank down the max speed their bikes can go (something they did in the downtown core during FIFA). And bikes should be returned to designated spots; there was one sitting right in the middle of the bike lane as I was coming up Perkins- there was no moving it as it was wedged between two concrete barriers- meaning bikers have to back track down the hill and move to the traffic side of the concrete barrier (dangerous) to avoid it.
ReplyDeleteWhose paying for all the "free bus fare" and "free lime bikes"?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.geekwire.com/2026/inside-limes-seattle-warehouse-where-15000-bikes-and-scooters-get-ready-for-a-world-cup-surge/
I’ve been irritated by this for a while now. We cut down irreplaceable large trees to make way for extra wide sidewalks, supposedly to accommodate mobility device and wheelchair users. Then the sidewalks are constantly obstructed by sometimes several lime bikes or scooters, completely defeating the purpose. Does no one in authority see the absurdity?
ReplyDeleteThe most illuminating element of your story is that when you dared voice your opinion to the government who represents you, they chose to scold you rather than taking your comments into consideration.
ReplyDelete100% agreed here also. Micro mobility is great, but not when it impedes other mobility, such as anyone else using a sidewalk, bike lane, parking lot.
ReplyDeleteAs noted by many others, cities around the US have docking stations to check out and return bikes and scooters. If you don’t put them back, you keep getting charged. Simple as that.
The idea that users should be able to leave a biker scooter wherever they want is an issue of entitlement and convenience, not of accessibility. Glad you weren’t fooled.
Balancing individual and group needs is one of the core tensions of society, just as balancing one person’s wants with those of another. It appears Shoreline is tipping over onto “anything goes” for the individual.
I’d urge the city to adjust their policies regarding bike/scooter share.
Does anyone have reason to believe they read these articles or the comment section?
Michael, you wrote the letter I intended to write, only in a MUCH more friendly way! THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteShoreline should drive around and confiscate any bike or scooter that blocks a sidewalk or handicap ramp and impound them. Charge the company to get them back. Believe me they will charge the last user the fine and more. It will stop.
ReplyDeleteThere are many who use the lime scooters and bikes responsibly. They help bridge the last mile from light rail stations to home saving time. Lime also has a program for low income riders giving them access. People with cars have the luxury of getting around easily those without don’t but lime helps those of us without cars get around a little easier.
ReplyDelete