Scott Dippel
@CBCScott
Alta Dept of Transportation has granted the exemption that will allow electric scooter-share to operate in Calgary and Edmonton. #yyccc Last week's story that Bird is coming:
A company backed by Toronto Raptors founder John Bitove says it will bring e-scooter rentals to Calgary and Edmonton in early July.
Newly founded Bird Canada says Alberta will be the launching point for its line of dockless electric-powered scooters, but it plans to expand to eventually offer scooter-sharing and other "commuter solutions" across the country.
The company says Kelowna, B.C., is likely to be the next city to see its products.
Bird Canada CEO Stewart Lyons says it negotiated the exclusive licence to offer device-sharing services in Canada from California-based Bird, which was founded in 2017 and has grown to operate in 120 cities, mainly in North America and Europe.
Lyons says the company decided to come to Alberta first because it anticipates that exceptions to provincial regulations requested by the cities of Calgary and Edmonton will be granted soon, thus allowing the e-scooters to be operated on public roads.
He says customers will be able to use the machines at a cost of $1.15 to start and 35 cents a minute after, a rate which he says makes the service competitive with public transit.
The company expects to put between 500 and 1,000 e-scooters in each city.
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In downtown Austin, people trip over these freakin' scooters all over sidewalks as they are lying everywhere; a total mess.
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"An idea is always a generalization, and generalization is a property of thinking. To generalize means to think." Georg Hegel
“To generalize is to be an idiot.” William Blake
Yeah it's definitely a mess, and they're a total eyesore. But the truth is they're awesome and super fun. I can only imagine people piling onto these after too much drinking or smoking at Stampede functions.
I actually like the idea of having scooters available to the public. I just don't think they should be used on downtown sidewalks. Urban parks – totally. Regional pathways - absolutely. Suburban areas - two thumbs up. Just not on crowded downtown sidewalks.
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"An idea is always a generalization, and generalization is a property of thinking. To generalize means to think." Georg Hegel
“To generalize is to be an idiot.” William Blake
I actually like the idea of having scooters available to the public. I just don't think they should be used on downtown sidewalks. Urban parks – totally. Regional pathways - absolutely. Suburban areas - two thumbs up. Just not on crowded downtown sidewalks.
Well this is Calgary, so I am sure it won't last very long before the city shuts it down.
The biggest issue are not the scooters, it's that people suck and are dumb. Like this morning, I'm on the path going down the bluff and some moron left a Lime bike blocking half the pathway right at the top at a narrow section. It could have gone anywhere else, but no, dummy was done with it, so left it there. I've seen lots of them left in the most careless places. We don't deserve these things.
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I used them in Florida last year. Super fun. They have bylaws restricting their use on certain sidewalks and certain areas though, where the scooter would just stop working. I can see the appeal though; if you had to whip over a few blocks for some reason or to rip around downtown they would be really handy.
Businesses really hated them though. When we were done and tried to park them people got pretty upset if they weren't parked on the sidewalk.
In downtown Austin, people trip over these freakin' scooters all over sidewalks as they are lying everywhere; a total mess.
In Berlin, there are like five companies who provide them and they are everywhere. Its perfectly organized and everyone uses them as they should. Total success.
In Berlin, there are like five companies who provide them and they are everywhere. Its perfectly organized and everyone uses them as they should. Total success.
You can't J-walk in Germany without being scolded by 5 people, so this doesn't surprise me.
I've seen them in Austin and San Diego, and while a good idea, yes there are plenty of people riding them that are dumb - in a similar way that some bike riders feel they don't need to obey the rules of the road when on the road (blowing through intersections, feeling they have the right of way as if they were a pedestrian, etc)
SXSW was a hot mess with dumb, most likely drunk folks on scooters, blasting out in every direction like a bunch of kittens that were just set loose in the middle of a room.
<insert Old Man Yells at Clouds.jpg>
__________________ You’re just old hate balls.
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We've had them in Tulsa for a year or so. So far they have been used pretty responsibly. I see them nicely stashed in the busy areas that they are appropriate for. I have a friend in Kansas City area who said they were having lots of problems with them being thrown everywhere a year or so ago.
In Berlin, there are like five companies who provide them and they are everywhere. Its perfectly organized and everyone uses them as they should. Total success.
I own a Segway Ninebot ES4. It's so much fun - I might like it better than my e-bike. I was in Banff on the weekend ripping around town and it's hilariously fast, nimble and convenient. It's so easy to fold in half and bring anywhere, throw in your trunk, whatever.
This is the one I have:
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