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Charlotte Bike / Scooter Sharing


kermit

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On 2/14/2018 at 3:15 AM, southslider said:

I do stop and pick these up, when walking by them. I also knock or pound on cars stopped in crosswalks, when walking by those.

This is equally obnoxious. 

I try to be a good citizen, but traffic doesn't always move the way you think it will in front of, beside, or behind you. And don't get me started on sirens in songs and commercials.... I would ensure that anyone who ever pounded on my car like that would never do anything like that ever again. You don't touch people's property. Especially if the "offense" is neither intentional or malicious. 

Yes, people need to be aware when driving, but that is just unsafe and not smart on your part.

Edited by HighRiseHillbilly
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1 hour ago, HighRiseHillbilly said:

 I would ensure that anyone who ever pounded on my car like that would never do anything like that ever again. You don't touch people's property. Especially if the "offense" is neither intentional or malicious. 

Yes, people need to be aware when driving, but that is just unsafe and not smart on your part.

It's more of a loud knock.  "Pounding" a human palm or fist does no damage to a two-ton cage. But it is intended to be attention-getting. Most of the time staring down the driver works. But if they're ignoring their surroundings, they need to be knocked back into reality.  Truly reserved for those not paying attention and risking the safety of others. Lives matter more than personal property. 

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1 minute ago, southslider said:

It's more of a loud knock.  "Pounding" a human palm or fist does no damage to a two-ton cage. But it is intended to be attention-getting. Most of the time staring down the driver works. But if they're ignoring their surroundings, they need to be knocked back into reality.  Truly reserved for those not paying attention and risking the safety of others. Lives matter more than personal property. 

Lives do matter and that's why I'm telling you that is a dumb thing for you to do.  Not everyone thinks the way you do but you can keep playing Russian Roulette if you want to.

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^I became a more vigilant pedestrian AFTER bring hit by a rolling-stop motorist. That was TWENTY years ago this summer. I haven't been hit walkimg since then.  Only honked at.

Back to cycling, I'd regularly be honked at, while biking. And usually by an impatient motorist complaining about having to change lanes to pass me pedaling. Often, they ride dangerously close while honking, then speeding away. That's a lot more aggressive behavior. And I suspect many who dislike seeing dockless bikes everywhere are the same offenders driving and parking themselves in their much larger and much more dangerous motorized vehicle without care for others.

And that's what careless parking of a car or bike is-- disregarding others.  Respect streets and sidewalks as shared spaces.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

As the weather has gotten nicer this is becoming my go-to to run errands from my house off Scaleybark on routes around Park Road Shopping Center or up to Southend.  Tend to like Mobike and Limebike the most, yet to try ofo and Spin seem a bit clunky/heavier.

Really enjoyable and hope more people take advantage so it becomes a norm around here :)

Edited by SouthEndCLT811
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+1, it’s relativly unusual for me to see badly parked bikes in Southend and Dilworth these days. The situation has defnitely improved from my point of view.

The only downside I have noticed is the dockless bikes are hogging the bike racks (which they don’t need to do) 

Edited by kermit
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55 minutes ago, JBS said:

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In Wesley Heights adjacent to the greenway...beautiful!  Seeing progress elsewhere also (and a lot more utilization with the warm weather).

As Kermit said. It’s unusual to see them parked badly for a solid amount of time now. 

 

Im glad that it seems the teething issues are working itself out and people are no longer outraged and setting themselves on fire over the bikes. And the bikes, especially on warm days are heavily utilized. It’s a great asset IMO. Wayyyyy better than bcycle. 

I myself have used limebike not only for leisure, but for actual practicality. To actually get around town. To get me places faster. With bcycle. Never once did I use it for anything but a fast and paranoid leisure time from metropolitan to freedom park.

 

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7 minutes ago, kermit said:

The only downside I have noticed is the dockless bikes are hogging the bike racks (which they don’t need to do) 

But they aren't locked in place...if someone needs to utilize the rack, it's as easy as moving the dockless out of the way.  In the meantime, it's orderly and more predictably located.  Huge progress around Gateway Village also (~20 bikes on surrounding blocks instead of 100) and they are reaching further into the 'burbs.  Also very pleased to see the diversity of users (all ages, genders, races and income levels).  I was too pessimistic apparently.  My opinion on b-cycle is unchanged (presumably this will be the last year they are subsidized and they will either change their business model or become obsolete).

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12 hours ago, JBS said:

But they aren't locked in place...if someone needs to utilize the rack, it's as easy as moving the dockless out of the way.  In the meantime, it's orderly and more predictably located.  Huge progress around Gateway Village also (~20 bikes on surrounding blocks instead of 100) and they are reaching further into the 'burbs.  Also very pleased to see the diversity of users (all ages, genders, races and income levels).  I was too pessimistic apparently.  My opinion on b-cycle is unchanged (presumably this will be the last year they are subsidized and they will either change their business model or become obsolete).

I don’t really think removing a dockless bike from a rack while straddling your personal bike would be “easy” but until more racks are built, I guess we’ll just have to deal with it

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14 hours ago, kermit said:

+1, it’s relativly unusual for me to see badly parked bikes in Southend and Dilworth these days. The situation has defnitely improved from my point of view.

The only downside I have noticed is the dockless bikes are hogging the bike racks (which they don’t need to do) 

Dockless bikes thrown all over the sidewalk no problem just take time out of your day to fix somebody else's lazy carefree attitude. Dockless bikes parked neatly in a bike rack out of the way, this is a problem.  Keep up the good work!

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On 2/18/2018 at 6:58 AM, JoshuaDrown said:

This guy is a pedestrian rock star. 

 

That's the exact video I was thinking of. That guy enrages me. Two idiots (one more so than the other) do not make a right.  No, this is not heroic, this is not brave, this is not cool. This is smug and I am running out of southern veils to hide my disdain for people who behave this way. I do not like bullies and acting like a jerk because someone has bad breaks or is preoccupied trying to get to their sick mama, etc. is presumptious bullying.

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12 hours ago, HighRiseHillbilly said:

That's the exact video I was thinking of. That guy enrages me. Two idiots (one more so than the other) do not make a right.  No, this is not heroic, this is not brave, this is not cool. This is smug and I am running out of southern veils to hide my disdain for people who behave this way. I do not like bullies and acting like a jerk because someone has bad breaks or is preoccupied trying to get to their sick mama, etc. is presumptious bullying.

I hear you, conflict isn’t generally the best way to change societal behavior. However, I don’t think the pedestrian standing in front of the 6,000 lb metal and steel combustion engine vehicle is a particularly threatening bully. The stakes are much higher for the pedestrians and cyclists in our urban environment.

As a pedestrian in Charlotte, I feel my safety threatened about once a week or so, most often from the driver taking the left turn across traffic with no regard for the people already in the crosswalk... for some reason College St is the worst Uptown, so many times I’ve had speeding drivers get within a foot or so of hitting me well after the crossing signal has changed. The people pulled out into the crosswalks, forcing us into travel lanes are rarely going to see “their sick mama”; we can see what they are doing, they are on their phones more often than not, endangering everyone around them.

As a cyclist, it’s monumentally worse, as some drivers make a game out of how close they can get to us, or how uncomfortable they can make us. Charlotte is a nightmare, I’ve been forced off the road and over my handlebars seemingly about once a year here, and I’m more of a weekend/recreational biker, I can’t imagine what the experience is like for the commuter.

My perception is that the drivers in this city (perhaps in the South as a whole) are still learning how to share the road, many of them have spent their whole lives in suburban car-centric environments... a couple seconds of being uncomfortable in a crosswalk, as a pedestrian gets possessive of his or her crossing space isn’t going to hurt them, but their lack of awareness for the pedestrian or cyclist could (and unfortunately some times does) kill us.

I have a colleague who will spend the rest of his life in a motorized wheelchair because he was hit Uptown, seeing him is a frequent reminder that we are not safe walking and riding on the street. The people in the 6,000 lb cars have a huge responsibility not to put the rest of us in danger.

 

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27 minutes ago, JoshuaDrown said:

I hear you, conflict isn’t generally the best way to change societal behavior. However, I don’t think the pedestrian standing in front of the 6,000 lb metal and steel combustion engine vehicle is a particularly threatening bully. The stakes are much higher for the pedestrians and cyclists in our urban environment.

As a pedestrian in Charlotte, I feel my safety threatened about once a week or so, most often from the driver taking the left turn across traffic with no regard for the people already in the crosswalk... for some reason College St is the worst Uptown, so many times I’ve had speeding drivers get within a foot or so of hitting me well after the crossing signal has changed. The people pulled out into the crosswalks, forcing us into travel lanes are rarely going to see “their sick mama”; we can see what they are doing, they are on their phones more often than not, endangering everyone around them.

As a cyclist, it’s monumentally worse, as some drivers make a game out of how close they can get to us, or how uncomfortable they can make us. Charlotte is a nightmare, I’ve been forced off the road and over my handlebars seemingly about once a year here, and I’m more of a weekend/recreational biker, I can’t imagine what the experience is like for the commuter.

My perception is that the drivers in this city (perhaps in the South as a whole) are still learning how to share the road, many of them have spent their whole lives in suburban car-centric environments... a couple seconds of being uncomfortable in a crosswalk, as a pedestrian gets possessive of his or her crossing space isn’t going to hurt them, but their lack of awareness for the pedestrian or cyclist could (and unfortunately some times does) kill us.

I have a colleague who will spend the rest of his life in a motorized wheelchair because he was hit Uptown, seeing him is a frequent reminder that we are not safe walking and riding on the street. The people in the 6,000 lb cars have a huge responsibility not to put the rest of us in danger.

 

My sincere condolences to your friend.

Taking issue with moving vehicles is an entirely different issue than beating on, blocking, or harassing a vehicle that is not moving. One poses a risk, the other is merely a nuesance.

At no time did I condone, defend, or make light of dangerous driving. That is not the same thing as being over a painted line. The same laws of physics do not apply. I do, however, know two of the worst human beings on the planet (well deserved arrest records and all) who would be happy to physically assault anyone who felt the need to act like the man in the video or the poster who beats on cars.

My concern is for the pedestrian's safety against people like this. Some felonious asshat having a bad day is way more dangerous than a car that isn't moving. Someone is going to get shot one day trying to "take a stand" on the wrong person....just like how that man got punched in the face on Sardis a few weeks ago. Was it right? No. Did it happen? Yes. Will it happen again? You bet your sweet, presumptious ass it will.

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3 minutes ago, HighRiseHillbilly said:

Taking issue with moving vehicles is an entirely different issue than beating on, blocking, or harassing a vehicle that is not moving. One poses a risk, the other is merely a nuesance.

I would say that a car blocking a crosswalk is far more than a nuisance, it endangers pedestrians. While its true that 9 times out of 10 a car blocking the crosswalk can just be stepped around, but that 10th time a pedestrian may be forced into cross traffic to avoid the careless driver or the cars may impede the view that other drivers have of the pedestrian.  Then (as with the discussion about dockless bikes on sidewalks) there is the issue of disabled people (visually impaired people being forced into traffic and mobility impaired people not being able to access curb cuts.)

How many times a day are you willing to ignore someone else who is endangering your life (even if just to a small degree) before you get angry?

 

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3 minutes ago, kermit said:

I would say that a car blocking a crosswalk is far more than a nuisance, it endangers pedestrians. While its true that 9 times out of 10 a car blocking the crosswalk can just be stepped around, but that 10th time a pedestrian may be forced into cross traffic to avoid the careless driver or the cars may impede the view that other drivers have of the pedestrian.  Then (as with the discussion about dockless bikes on sidewalks) there is the issue of disabled people (visually impaired people being forced into traffic and mobility impaired people not being able to access curb cuts.)

How many times a day are you willing to ignore someone else who is endangering your life (even if just to a small degree) before you get angry?

 

I am upset because there is a population that thinks it's OK to meet stupid with stupid. I talk to young children all day and this is something that is frowned upon from a young age. God forbid I not want anyone here to get punched in the face or worse.

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3 minutes ago, HighRiseHillbilly said:

I am upset because there is a population that thinks it's OK to meet stupid with stupid. I talk to young children all day and this is something that is frowned upon from a young age. God forbid I not want anyone here to get punched in the face or worse.

What other ways does an individual have to speak out against stupid, incompetent or careless drivers? How else will drivers know that blocking the crosswalk is dangerous? We all know from experience that its not going to get done through enforcement. 

I think your labeling his actions as stupid is a subjective judgement which is coming from a position of bias.

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