# Electric scooters, the scourge of residential neighborhoods **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 14, 2025, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970 "2025-10-14T20:05:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/21 "2025-10-15T14:25:20Z")
LOL Cars do not park on the sidewalk? Where do you live? I want to live there. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/22 "2025-10-15T14:31:49Z")
First of all, I did say “cars don’t _usually_ occupy space on the sidewalk.” And where do _you_ live that they normally do? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/23 "2025-10-15T14:32:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > A couple of years ago, Paris banned rental electric scooters due to accidents involving pedestrians and also that they litter sidewalks. Toronto has banned riding e-scooters completely (although you still see people riding them). [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/e-scooter-toronto-ban-1.7214153](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/e-scooter-toronto-ban-1.7214153) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/24 "2025-10-15T14:33:39Z")
My _understanding_ is that in Paris, the rental scooters are banned but not privately owned ones. So people still ride scooters but ones that they presumably don’t abandon on the sidewalk. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/25 "2025-10-15T14:40:43Z")
We don’t have them out here in the wilds of Chicago suburbia but, when we last visited family in residential Washington DC, it felt as though you had to regularly kick abandoned scooters and bikes out of the way to walk anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/26 "2025-10-15T14:42:01Z")
On a local FB page, someone posts narrated videos of abandoned electric scooters in a hushed, David Attenborough voice: “Here we see a herd of scooters, grazing on the banks of the creek, searching for a quick meal…One fine specimen is drinking at the water’s edge; appears to be male, about a year old…what a beauty!” ---
**Author:** ![Frilly\_Heck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/90ced4/32.png) [@Frilly\_Heck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frilly_Heck)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/27 "2025-10-15T16:41:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Cars don’t usually occupy space on the sidewalk. I _wish_. The biggest thing preventing cars from blocking sidewalks around here is the general lack of sidewalks. Also, street parking doesn’t mix well with children being outside, because it obscures driver visibility, and kids have a tendency to dart between cars. In a residential area, kids freely playing should have priority over convenient parking. But scooters are mildly annoying, and new-fangled. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/28 "2025-10-15T16:43:50Z")
> [@Frilly\_Heck](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > Cars don’t usually occupy space on the sidewalk. > > I _wish_. The biggest thing preventing cars from blocking sidewalks around here is the general lack of sidewalks. So you agree with me that cars don’t occupy sidewalks? ---
**Author:** ![Frilly\_Heck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/90ced4/32.png) [@Frilly\_Heck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frilly_Heck)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/29 "2025-10-15T16:45:46Z")
They aren’t supposed to, but it’s a big enough problem in my city that they passed a law about it (which has not stopped it from happening): [New Arizona law prohibits blocking sidewalks with vehicle](https://www.kold.com/2021/10/06/new-arizona-law-prohibits-blocking-sidewalks-with-vehicle/) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/30 "2025-10-15T16:48:33Z")
I give up. ---
**Author:** ![Frilly\_Heck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/90ced4/32.png) [@Frilly\_Heck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frilly_Heck)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/31 "2025-10-15T16:49:38Z")
Does that mean you agree with me that cars do occupy sidewalks some of the time? If you look at the link, you can see many examples of this, and I can attest that I see it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/32 "2025-10-15T17:17:50Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > We don’t have them out here in the wilds of Chicago suburbia but, when we last visited family in residential Washington DC, it Funny you mention both places. Chicago suburbs because that’s where I see the largest packs of kids and more likely to be a hassle to traditional 4 wheel motorists like me. _However,_ they’re personally owned scooters and bikes and ebikes and heelies and boots with the fur and everything else. In other words, it’s a pack problem. And Washington DC is where I first fell into love and admiration with the escooter urban rent model. As a tourist, I found them fun, efficient & easy and immediately began shopping for one (& ultimately buying) when I got home. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > (ETA, Bublr, because Milwaukee) That’s adorable but wish it was _something_ to do with water besides ‘let’s go throw the bikes into’ it. Or some. I’d have gone with Stop & Go Litebikes or something. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/33 "2025-10-15T17:21:11Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > As a tourist, I found them fun, efficient & easy and immediately began shopping for one (& ultimately buying) when I got home. They may be less of a trash nuisance in the touristy areas for obvious reasons. Out in the residential neighborhood we were at, they were basically sidewalk debris. ---
**Author:** ![Frilly\_Heck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/90ced4/32.png) [@Frilly\_Heck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frilly_Heck)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/34 "2025-10-15T17:48:10Z")
[Here’s another story](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKc3VI4ldeQ) about cars parked on sidewalks. I hope this establishes that it’s not an unusual problem. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/35 "2025-10-15T17:56:40Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > they were basically sidewalk debris I get it and have stepped over plenty (and Divvys) since. Worse, people seem increasingly at liberty to bring them into stores, both parked inside the entry but also pushed around inside the TX Maxx or Walgreens. South Park did a whole episode about them in 2018: a character, Mr Mackey, the Mmm-Kay guy, goes on a rampage against scooters and gathers them up in a Grinch Halloween parody. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/36 "2025-10-15T18:03:13Z")
This just showed up on my local news site: > **[Lime to expand Milwaukee e-scooter fleet, add foot patrol team for...](https://www.tmj4.com/news/milwaukee-county/lime-to-expand-milwaukee-e-scooter-fleet-add-foot-patrol-team-for-misplaced-scooters)** > > Lime announced Wednesday it will expand its e-scooter fleet in Milwaukee and add a foot patrol team to correct misplaced and misparked scooters in high-traffic areas. > Lime announced Wednesday it will expand its e-scooter fleet in Milwaukee and add a foot patrol team to correct misplaced and misparked scooters. > “Lime is making a major investment to substantially increase our fleet size in Milwaukee to ensure we can meet the high demand for shared, sustainable transit across the city. We are also expanding our Foot Patrol team and doing everything in our power to support the community’s desire for reliable ways to get around while working to ensure that growth happens responsibly and that safe riding and proper parking remain paramount. We are making real, tangible investments in Milwaukee that folks should notice immediately, from our more available fleet to our foot patrol keeping streets tidy and e-scooters available for those who rely on them,” said LeAaron Foley, Regional Head of Government Relations at Lime. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/37 "2025-10-15T18:04:51Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > That’s adorable but wish it was _something_ to do with water besides ‘let’s go throw the bikes into’ it. Huh?? ---
**Author:** ![Frilly\_Heck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/90ced4/32.png) [@Frilly\_Heck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frilly_Heck)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/38 "2025-10-15T18:11:30Z")
I was in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year, and there was a guy collecting e-scooters on the beachfront like this: [https://www.instagram.com/p/DM\_G2Y5yfFJ/](https://www.instagram.com/p/DM_G2Y5yfFJ/) I assume he was paid by the city to pick them up and return them to their stations. His balance skills were impressive! ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/39 "2025-10-15T18:23:00Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > The problem is proving it. If you find a scooter I rented, laying across the sidewalk, did I leave it there or did I leave it where it belongs only for someone else to walk by and kick it over? > > One solution would be to do the same thing as the rental bike companies. The bikes are locked in a rack, you pay a deposit to get one (plus whatever fees there are) and get the deposit back when you lock it back up at another bike rack near your destination. I admit that I do not know what the expectation is WRT where you are supposed to get and leave an e-scooter. In my ignorance, I had imagined that they required some charging station. I am not the most tech-advanced person, and I do not know what the agreements are between the vendors and both their customers and the municipalities. But I would suggest this is not an insurmountable problem. The company could charge a deposit which would be refunded if the customer texted a photo of the scooter being left a an appropriate place. I also imagined that there was some sort of GPS locator or something that would allow the vendor to identify where they were left. So a deposit could be refunded once GPS documented that it was left at an appropriate place. However, as I am so clearly ignorant WRT so many aspects of commercial e-scooter rentals, I will bow out. I have posted in other threads about my dislike for youth riding e-devices in my suburban area. Yesterday a young person was riding a gas-powered minibike up and down the street. When I see that, I find myself wishing the kids would get hit by a car - an emotional reaction I do not relish. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970/40 "2025-10-15T18:51:03Z")
I wish the Bublr product name, itself cute in Wisc, referred to something to do with water or fountains. And, given that so many rent bikes & scooters wind up underwater, a wet name might give even more people ideas. > I know how we can _really_ make this thing bubl! To the marina! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-scooters-the-scourge-of-residential-neighborhoods/1023970.md?page=3)