rsa supporting e-scooters

magicbastarder

i saw a bit of a hybrid today - from a distance, i thought it might have been a fold up bike, or else one of those sit on scooters - but this had a crankset and the various gubbins a bike would require. but then i saw it accelerate without the chap on it pedalling, so clearly a completely illegal e-bike, but one that might 'fool' the gardai. wheels were maybe about 10" i'd say.

ED E

magicbastarder wrote: »

i saw a bit of a hybrid today - from a distance, i thought it might have been a fold up bike, or else one of those sit on scooters - but this had a crankset and the various gubbins a bike would require. but then i saw it accelerate without the chap on it pedalling, so clearly a completely illegal e-bike, but one that might 'fool' the gardai. wheels were maybe about 10" i'd say.

Sounds like these

Thargor

I'll be building a stealth motorbike like that soon once range and prices improve a bit more, the technology is surging ahead, literal monthly improvements if you keep an eye on the ebike forums. It's really only range holding me back tbh, any journey under 50k is just easier on the roadbike and obviously better for me. Looking for something with a nice cruising speed (is illegal) and 100k range minimum.

CramCycle

I seen what looked like a Trek eMTB come through Shankill the other day, battery filled the triangle of the frame. As he went down the other side of the road at about 40kmph I realised he wasn't pedalling. It was an ebike which looked enough like a bike that it would fool the Gardai. Only the speed and the lack of pedalling made it obvious. More obvious to a cyclist, most cars wouldn't even cop it

tomasrojo

Sorry, But E-Scooters Are Still Not Scary

Basically, out of something like three million (!) scooter trips in a densely populated area of Southern California there were two severe injuries, a safety record of which even an ordinary household staircase would be envious.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2405475/e-scooters-not-bad

Also, apparently, shared scooters have a higher injury rate than shared bikes, but are also more popular and that popularity gap is widening.

Markcheese

CramCycle wrote: »

I seen what looked like a Trek eMTB come through Shankill the other day, battery filled the triangle of the frame. As he went down the other side of the road at about 40kmph I realised he wasn't pedalling. It was an ebike which looked enough like a bike that it would fool the Gardai. Only the speed and the lack of pedalling made it obvious. More obvious to a cyclist, most cars wouldn't even cop it

I assume it'll get taken off him if it gets found out,
(I've no major problem with bigger motors and a throttle that'll allow guys to do around 25/ 30 kph, but I don't really have much sympathy for anyone who gets busted taking the piss either)

CramCycle

Markcheese wrote: »

I assume it'll get taken off him if it gets found out,
(I've no major problem with bigger motors and a throttle that'll allow guys to do around 25/ 30 kph, but I don't really have much sympathy for anyone who gets busted taking the piss either)

I loved the way he got dressed up as what I imagine American TV or a Halfords ad picture a MTBer to look like. Al that and he forgot to pedal to hide what he was at.

Markcheese

Markcheese wrote: »

I assume it'll get taken off him if it gets found out,
(I've no major problem with bigger motors and a throttle that'll allow guys to do around 25/ 30 kph, but I don't really have much sympathy for anyone who gets busted taking the piss either)

I've seen a young guy here in Drogheda not take the piss and has his mtb fitted with a conversion kit, not throttled that I could see so has to peddle and does a steady pace up hill ahead and away from me. Not sure what the kit goes for 300 or so maybe?

Anyway it's strapped to an Apollo Slant, the cheapest bike Halfords have to offer

Laugh I might but it's doing the job if he's pulling away from me on a 3-4% hill

rubadub

rubadub wrote: »

Another from them here showing a commute on the N11. Starts off in Kilbogget park, then goes the wrong way on a cycle lane for a bit

Saw a guy being nabbed by a garda on the N11 this morning at cornelscourt, possibly this lad on the monowheel.

Just here https://goo.gl/maps/s4FkAo6Yti8HDyqH9 (I love the fact google maps reveals all the non compliant election posters!).

It seems to me the garda was possibly laying in wait for him, I have travelled on that road since it opened and have never seen gardai at that point. They would be at cabinteely as there is a garda station there and people crossing etc.

After that an ambulance passed me and I guess got blocked at whitescross as the bus lane was packed with cars again, like one I saw recently. No garda there of course.

I wondered if they want it in the papers that they are being seized before xmas to put people off considering getting them. I warned another woman on an escooter later.

JMcL

rubadub wrote: »

I wondered if they want it in the papers that they are being seized before xmas to put people off considering getting them. I warned another woman on an escooter later.

The Xiaomi ones are being sold in both Halfords and Harvey Norman - I think the latter had a big discount on them last week. Nary a mention of the legal status of them that I could see

Ray Palmer

Last week there was a guy on an electric skateboard in front of me. He was weaving all over the road. Squeezed between two moving buses and I thought he was dead but he was just both crazy and lucky.
I used to skateboard and the smallest pebble can throw you. He was going over 25kph. Zero road sense. Think of the worst cyclist you saw in your life and this guy beat them.

rubadub

JMcL wrote: »

The Xiaomi ones are being sold in both Halfords and Harvey Norman - I think the latter had a big discount on them last week. Nary a mention of the legal status of them that I could see

Halfords had noticies.

I see this on HN

https://www.harveynorman.ie/gaming/kaiser-baas-revo-e3-electric-scooter-black-silver.html

The REVO E3 350W is a commuters dream, with a foldable frame, you can get from A to B with ease at speeds up to 30km/h. Cruise control, a large LED screen and 3-speed modes take the effort out of the ride so you can have a smooth commute.

So 30km/h is faster than most places would allow where they are legal, and they do infer it can be used to commute, which would lead people to think it can be used on roads.



https://www.halfords.ie/kids-zone/scooters/electric-scooters/xiaomi-mi-m365-electric-scooter-black
in big bold font

Please note that this scooter is not to be used on public highways, only on private property with the owner's consent.

TheBoyConor

tomasrojo wrote: »

It's fascinating to see scooters take up the position in the transport ecosystem that Segways were always hyped up for.

The problem with segways is that they are big wide awkward yokes. They are really heavy too. used on a footpath they will take up too much room and clash with pedestrians. They are also much heavier and cannot be folded up and stored under a desk for example.


Another thing that I am predicting is the inevitable spate of office fires due to faulty scooter batteries overheating and catching fire while charging under desks and in drying rooms, cupbords etc.. We must remember that the cheaper examples are of dubious oriental origin and quality and origin of their batteries and chargers is probably even more indeterminate.

Lumen

Ray Palmer wrote: »

I used to skateboard and the smallest pebble can throw you. He was going over 25kph. Zero road sense. Think of the worst cyclist you saw in your life and this guy beat them.

I was looking at electric skateboards/longboards recently. They go up to about 40kph. On skateboard wheels. Madness.

Digging a bit deeper it seemed that you can't really ride them in the wet either, because they are not properly waterproofed or there isn't enough grip to stay alive. Which is fine if you're in California, but not Ireland...

The "off road" ones look better, and at least if you hit a pothole you can jump off the front, whereas on a kick scooter you're in world of pain.

CramCycle

I presume someone from here has been onto HN since this morning:

Please note: the RSA is currently undertaking research on behalf of the Department of Transport, Tourism, and Sport regarding the use of E-Scooters in Ireland. The ‘Use of Electric Scooters Bill 2019’ is currently before the D. For more information please see https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2019/72/ -

The use of a helmet is recommended.

he REVO E3 350W is a commuters dream, with a foldable frame, you can get from A to B with ease at speeds up to 25km/h. Cruise control, a large LED screen and 3-speed modes take the effort out of the ride so you can have a smooth ride. The removable battery means you can leave your E-Scooter in storage and take the battery out to charge inside.

rubadub

rubadub wrote: »

Saw a guy being nabbed by a garda on the N11 this morning at cornelscourt, possibly this lad on the monowheel.

The guy was back on it today, I was talking to him at the lights and he said she just warned him to stick to cycle tracks and not be on footpaths.

There was a male garda in the same area this morning, this time at the lights, I was saying hello to him, he was right at the road so yer man had to pass him. I looked back and saw the guy passed on the monowheel with nothing said.

So no crackdown or and I still have no idea why the gardai are at that spot where there is never an issue!

Stark

I know the phrase "don't the guards have something better to be doing?" gets trotted out often, but really? A garda camped out for hours just to stop a guy on a monowheel from using the footpath? I hope they're there for something else and the monowheel thing was just an opportunistic.

magicbastarder

https://twitter.com/Cianmm/status/1202145439388229632

magicbastarder

as to why they're at it today:

Today, Monday 2nd December 2019 An Garda Síochána has commenced Operation 'Open City' which will continue until Christmas Eve.

The aim of Operation Open City is ‘To facilitate the movement of Public Transport and minimise traffic disruption to the general public, through high visibility and enforcement activity’ in Dublin, Cork and Limerick.

Operation ‘Open City’ involves a multi-agency approach between An Garda Síochána, The National Transport Authority, Local Authorities and transport providers. ‘Open City’ is a high visibility enforcement operation with Gardaí patrolling major arterial routes and link roads during core commuter hours. There will also be particular focus on traffic management issues around car parks at major shopping areas. During the operation enhanced communication will be provided to the public by An Garda Síochána and relevant stakeholders through the use of social media (@GardaTraffic), websites, smart phone apps and roadside variable message signs.

The 197 newly attested Gardaí who graduated last Friday 29th November 2019 take up operational duty today. The 89 Gardaí assigned to the Dublin Region, 32 Gardaí to Cork City and 32 to Limerick City have all been deployed to ‘Open City’. They will support Garda Roads Policing Units and local Garda patrols to help people get about their day’s business, and enjoy the seasonal festivities. The remaining 44 newly attested Gardaí have been deployed to border Divisions.

https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/office-of-corporate-communications/press-releases/2019/december/operation-open-city-2019.html

plodder

Yes, there was a lot of bus lane policing today. I saw a car pull into the bus lane and immediately double back when he saw the gardai ahead, which made me think, they need to be much more sneaky about it. There's no deterrent effect if people can avoid detection so easily, and the enforcement so rare and seasonal.

blackwhite

plodder wrote: »

Yes, there was a lot of bus lane policing today. I saw a car pull into the bus lane and immediately double back when he saw the gardai ahead, which made me think, they need to be much more sneaky about it. There's no deterrent effect if people can avoid detection so easily, and the enforcement so rare and seasonal.

They had a squad car parked in the entrance to the British Embassy on Merrion Rd yesterday morning, trying to hide from view.

LeeroyJ.

Gardai have been handling E-Scooter well so far in my opinion. I have yet to see them stop anyone using them responsibly and I used mine every day for about 6 months commuting 5km to work each way. I've seen them stop people taking the piss like speeding on sidewalks, running red lights and driving scooter that should be classified as Motorcycles.


I recently had to stop using mine as my office forbid people bringing them inside, and we don't have any real facilities to lock them up (e scooters can't really be locked anyway as they can be dismantled in 1 minute with a screwdriver)

rubadub

Stark wrote: »

A garda camped out for hours just to stop a guy on a monowheel from using the footpath? I hope they're there for something else and the monowheel thing was just an opportunistic.

I was saying in todays post that it must not have been for him, or it would have been seized yesterday. And todays different garda didn't stop him at all.

I still have no idea why they are at that junction, there is no trouble with cars in bus lanes there, or breaking lights or pedestrian issues, while further up at white cross it is comical what goes on.

cdaly_

LeeroyJ. wrote: »

I recently had to stop using mine as my office forbid people bringing them inside, and we don't have any real facilities to lock them up (e scooters can't really be locked anyway as they can be dismantled in 1 minute with a screwdriver)

1. Bring a black binbag in your pocket.
2. Fold scooter and place in bag.
3. Carry in to work.
4. Claim it's an Xmas pressie for a colleague and you can't show it...

rubadub

cdaly_ wrote: »

1. Bring a black binbag in your pocket.
2. Fold scooter and place in bag.
3. Carry in to work.
4. Claim it's an Xmas pressie for a colleague and you can't show it...

5. come up with a new plan for the next day as you can't be pulling that one every day!

magicbastarder

LeeroyJ. wrote: »

I recently had to stop using mine as my office forbid people bringing them inside, and we don't have any real facilities to lock them up

does your employer provide car parking?

rubadub

Electric Scooter Rider in Ireland Given Five Penalty Points and €300 Fine

Weepsie

We had to stop students bringing them into work (3rd level place) as they were becoming trip hazards. When the place is full, there really is nowhere to really leave them, and they're bulky enough to leave about.

IF I were remotely enterprising and had any skill, I could make some sort of Scooter lockers. You could easily store loads vertically in a small individual lockers. Need them to get more popular still though.

magicbastarder

rubadub wrote: »

Electric Scooter Rider in Ireland Given Five Penalty Points and €300 Fine

utterly bananas.

Weepsie

rubadub wrote: »

Electric Scooter Rider in Ireland Given Five Penalty Points and €300 Fine

And this is absurd. They're not legislated for, so how can the fine and points be handed down as if it's something that is legislated for.

That's more than you get for speeding in a car. Jobsworth