On Wed, May 30, 2018 at 9:59 AM Ceruzzi, Paul <CeruzziP@si.edu> wrote:

These things have suddenly appeared all over downtown DC, along with the pastel-colored dockless bikeshares (LimeBike, OfO, et al). I tried a Bird scooter—they can go fast! But it takes nerves of steel to ride in traffic. The drivers don’t like it when you take up a lane, even if you ride fast. But if you go on the sidewalk, the pedestrians get mad at you, for good reason. I think they are a great idea, especially since both the NY subways and the DC Metro are both in a state of collapse. (I use Capital Bikeshare, a system that requires docs, every day in my commute. The bikes are sturdy, a bit heavy, but well-suited for urban travel.)

I too live in D.C.

It's not at all clear to me that these dockless scooters and bicycles ought to be part of our transportation mix long-term - what need do they serve that would not be better served by busses and docked bicycles? What are these but a novelty for high-income residents of the urban core, a new way for teenagers to concuss themselves[fn:1], propped up by VC largesse and externalization of social costs (e.g. the obstruction of streets and sidewalks, the proliferation of "gig" employment)? If made to pay these costs - by employing rebalancers at a living wage and maintaining a service level that kept public thoroughfares unobstructed - could these enterprises ever turn a profit? How does their environmental impact compare to alternatives? The Chinese experience, alluded to above, does not inspire confidence.

Bikeshare, which should have been public, is at least union.

- Bjorn Westergard

[fn:1]: I have witnessed two such accidents already.