Scooter Scourge

Scourge might be a bit over the top to describe this new trend but it's not too far off.

Scooters and dockless bikes have shown up in DC.

And they're something of an annoyance.

You can see part of the problem from these two pictures. The scooter was just left right in the middle of the sidewalk. The bikes take up even more space.

I don't have a problem with the scooters or the bikes. I have a problem with the people who ride them and have no common sense when they do.

Here's what's happening in cities around the country:

Cities are struggling to figure out how to manage transport options that aren’t built around personal cars. Where, exactly, are scooters supposed to be stored — should you have to pay for parking? Scooters left haphazardly on sidewalks and in front of doors are a serious impediment for wheelchairs and the elderly. (PSA: To not be a jerk, the correct way to park is at a bike stand or against a wall, away from pedestrians and entryways.)

And this:

Tensions are particularly high in San Francisco, a dense city that was also the first to encounter Uber. Scooters dominated a meeting Monday in City Hall as lawmakers, citing hundreds of citizen complaints, weighed how to regulate them.

“It is clear that many of these companies continue to build their corporate empires off a basic premise: making massive profit always trumps protecting the public, and innovation is only possible by cutting corners,” said Aaron Peskin, a city supervisor.

Having encountered these my problem is people drive too fast on them. They weave in between pedestrians. There is the expectation on the part of the scooter rider that pedestrians should get out of their way. When actually it's the scooter rider who needs to slow down and stay out of the way of pedestrians.

I had the same problem when Segways came along. Nothing more enjoyable walking down a cobbled stoned sidewalk in Georgetown and have to get out of the way of one of these things. After awhile I didn't. I got some dirty looks from the Segway guys but it was worth it. I'm going to start doing the same thing with the scooters. They can slow down.

I have a feeling that in a year or so most of these scooters will be long gone. The fad will have faded