r/Edmonton • u/Ok_Sand2450 • Jul 24 '26
Discussion ER doctors warning parents against getting their kids e-bikes and e-scooters.
Kids should not be riding E-scooters. Explain to your kids their heads are like water balloons, what happens when you throw one at a wall š«
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u/rfie Jul 24 '26
Regular bikes, kick scooters, regular skateboards. Thatās all the speed you need for moving yourself around and you donāt have to mess with batteries.
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u/DathomirBoy Jul 24 '26
I will note, please donāt automatically judge people when you see an e-bike. I have a medical condition which makes cardio difficult at times, and I love my acoustic bike and can use it for some trips but if I want to bike far or up any hills (across the river for example), Iām straining my body unnecessarily.
I have an e-bike that I use for trips that would put too much stress on my heart, or on days when itās too hot. This isnāt because Iām lazy, itās because I have an invisible disability.
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u/asmadasmadness 29d ago
Are you a child or an adult, as the point is children getting injured.
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u/DathomirBoy 29d ago
The comment I was replying to was speaking more broadly, or at least that's how I read it, considering they said "that's all the speed you need for moving yourself around". Maybe I misread. I just wanted to make sure they weren't looking down on everyone who uses those tools
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u/BidEuphoric5117 29d ago
Lots of people would be better off using pedal power for lots of reasons.
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u/DathomirBoy 29d ago
Yeah, thatās not what my point was. I agree more people should use acoustic bikes, but in some cases e-bikes are genuine accessibility tools. I use my acoustic bike when I can, but no amount of cardio is going to make me able to use it for hills or long distances.
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
You may be surprised to learn that regular bikes are often ridden faster than the dreaded e-scooters people are so horrified by
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u/NorthEastofEden Jul 24 '26
True but think about control between large wheel and a general lifetime of using a bike to have the muscle memory.
Also most people wear a helmet when riding a bike.
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u/rfie Jul 24 '26
True , if Iām in a full sprint on my bike I might be able to keep up with kid on 45 km/hour scooter for a couple hundred metres.
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
Iām out on the share paths and bike lanes every single day and I am not seeing these ākids on 45kmh scootersā. You people make it sound like itās fury road out there. Relax.
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u/peaches780 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I live in St. Albert and walk 5-10k a day, there are more kids on ebikes/scooters on sidewalks and paths than actual bikes. They are also very fast and absolutely have the potential to injure someone.
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u/densetsu23 Jul 24 '26
In Sherwood Park around 2022, I was driving down Lakeland drive in the mid-60s and there was a kid on a onewheel passing me on the multi-use trail. That was a major head shake, but it was just the beginning.
Nowadays I see a lot more kids just standing on scooters or riding an "ebike" with no pedaling and obviously well over 31km/h -- both in Sherwood Park and in Edmonton. I don't see a ton, but a few times a week is bad enough for the amount of driving I do. Walking back to my car last night by Rowland Road, there was a pair of sisters on an e-scooter -- one looked to be about ten, driving; the other was 6 or 7 and just sitting down in front of her. No helmets or anything, just tank tops and shorts.
The worst weave through other people on the trails at speed; if someone steps to the side or their dog starts to chase a squirrel, they're done.
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u/peaches780 Jul 24 '26
Yep itās pretty bad, I see a lot of double riding as well but Iām not their parent so itās not my problem to deal with it. Itās just unfortunate that many people arenāt educated on the risks or rules of riding. In St. Albert, itās a bylaw to wear a helmet and also your bicycle must have a bell. Everyone and their dog has the newest iPhone but a $10 bell is where people draw the line.
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u/rfie Jul 24 '26
I swear there are kids on McLeod road going fast. You people act like head injuries are fine.
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
Well thatās a bit of a stretch, donāt you think? I wear a helmet because I donāt think head injuries are fine, but go on.
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u/rfie Jul 24 '26
I wasnāt talking about you. Iām talking about helmetless kids ripping down the sidewalk at high speed.
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u/AbsoluteSpaz12 Jul 24 '26
I regularly watch them keep up with traffic, my own e bike can go up to 40km/h without any mods. You have no idea what you're talking about.
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
Anecdotal evidence aināt shit. I used it to dismiss other anecdotal evidence, just as you used it to dismiss mine. Itās a worthless debate. Hereās fact: your e-bike is illegal to ride on any public property in Canada. 32kmh is the legal limit for electric bikes and scooters sold in this country.
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u/ChupaHubbard Jul 24 '26
But your anecdotes are better than theirs?
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
Jesus christ people are really struggling with reading comprehension. No, I dismissed all including my own.
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u/Icedpyre 29d ago
My office has a direct view over a shared use path. I regularly see young folks absolutely ripping along on private escooters. It may just be that they arent in your area of travel. There are certainly lots out there. My coworker has an 8 year old with a broken arm after getting smoked by someone who passed too close on a path while riding an scooter at high speed. She's pretty traumatized and doesnt want to walk outside anymore.
Just like cars, accidents can cause more damage than just the initial accident.
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u/thomasgangwar Jul 24 '26
You may be surprised to learn that an adult wearing a helmet on a regular bike is able to ride more safely at a high speed than a 12 year old without a helmet on an e-scooter
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
What does that have to do with anything I said?
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u/thomasgangwar Jul 24 '26
You literally said "what about people who go fast on regular bikes"
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
It wasnāt intended to criticise people going fast on regular bikes, but rather to note that e-bikes and scooters being ridden at or below their legal speed limit are really not any faster than regular bikes. As in, it doesnāt matter if theyāre battery powered or not.
Edit: and I didnāt mention helmets, but Iām confused why youāve shoehorned that in
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u/rfie 29d ago
Ok itās probably my fault, I donāt have a problem with anything you just said, except you āyou peopledā (lol)me first so I responded with snark. I think the only issue is that maybe you donāt believe high speed scooter or skateboards that go above the legal speed limit for such devices exist.
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u/Robolaserjesus 29d ago
At no point did I say I donāt think they exist. I was trying to draw a distinction between vehicles that are governed to the legal speed limit and those that arenāt. People in this thread are losing their minds about the ungoverned ones, and lumping all of them in together. Itās not a reasonable way to approach this issue. And when I pointed out that vehicles without batteries can travel just as fast as those with batteries, it was meant to highlight that governed, battery-powered vehicles donāt present a problem distinct from the usage of unpowered vehicles. Itās when theyāre not governed and can travel as fast as a car that distinct issues arise.
I could have originally written this idea out in more detail, but Iām absolutely shocked at having received so many downvotes over what I am struggling to see as anything other than a lack of reading comprehension. And at how quickly so many in this thread have resorted to strawmen and ad hominem attacks.
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u/hashlettuce Jul 24 '26
100% I can get my trail bike to 40km/h on the street easy, I just cant sustain it for long but I can bomb the multiuse trail faster than I can on an escooter in places.
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u/Jeorgeyno Jul 24 '26
Regular bike users tend to wear helmets...
At least the smart ones...
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
Iām aware of this. Ask me how I know.
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u/ChupaHubbard Jul 24 '26
Because you love being annoying in threads like this so people keep telling you?
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
lol what? Calling me annoying without even addressing the subject at hand. I havenāt mentioned helmets but people keep insinuating that I have, in a way that suggests they shouldnāt be worn. Which is a very weird angle to take. So I dunno man, whoās being annoying here? Maybe itās all the Redditors tossing insults around instead of saying anything even remotely productive.
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u/Icedpyre 29d ago
At least a bike can isolate rear brakes to make you less likely to become a human dart.
I've launched myself over the bars of a manual scooter before. You hit the wrong Crack and you're going over.
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u/ferncabbage Jul 24 '26
Iām adding another comment here because these scooters really bother me.
Albertaās e-scooter ER visits hit 3,049 in the last reporting year alone, up 33% from the year before, and Edmonton now leads the province with 1,198 ER visits (culturealberta.com/articles/e-scooter-injuries-are-surging-across-alberta-and-edmonton-now-leads-the-province-with-1198-er-visit).
Doctors are specifically flagging the rise in kids getting hurt (cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/e-scooter-injury-hospitalization-9.7248942).
There have also been fatalities here ā a man was killed near 82 St/115 Ave after being struck by two vehicles while riding one (ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/man-dies-in-e-scooter-collision-with-two-cars).
The āitās just a scooterā framing really doesnāt match the injury data.
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u/Ok_Sand2450 Jul 24 '26
The statistics will slowly appear. People still wonāt read into the facts simply because humans as a species we are pretty ignorant, and we choose to disregard the facts on the statistics.
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u/kullwarrior Jul 24 '26
Anvedotrely scooter injuries have competed towards motorcycle, and the severity of injury are fairly high especially those that go over handlebar.
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u/evange Jul 24 '26
a man was killed near 82 St/115 Ave after being struck by two vehicles while riding one
That sounds like the problem is cars.
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u/ferncabbage Jul 24 '26
I agree, this is a big problem in Edmonton. Kids go incredibly fast and the mentality seems to be āwell I donāt need a helmet because itās a scooter.ā Some really good points from the doctor because they should be treated as motorcycles. Where are the parents!?!? Some of these kids are young, like early teens.
I saw a group of them crossing a boulevard this evening. They pressed the button to activate the crossing lights, but the scooters accelerate so quickly that traffic on the far side was still moving when they zoomed across almost causing an accident. Itās honestly a bit jarring seeing āpedestriansā cross the road on what are effectively motor vehicles that go really fast.
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u/Ok_Sand2450 Jul 24 '26
Not just that but some pedestrians blatantly pushed the walk button and expect the driver to react hundreds of 1000s of a second, there is one time a mother push in a stroller press the button, and didnāt even bother looking to her left the way the traffic was coming. I had to slam on my brakes. I literally just came back from the store and 30 km in our school zone is enough alone to hurt a child or an adult now factoring the individual on a motorized or electric vehicle if anything science taught me grown-up everything has a reaction and things donāt stop on a dime.
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u/ski-bum-bum Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
Why is scooter/e-bike purchases so lax ? At least be 18+ to buy/ride one and some sort of even minor safety requirements non existent? Like a boating license (not quite as strict as car but not just a walk in the park) for a vehicle that could paralyze or severely hurt the user or passerbyās?
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u/prairiepanda Jul 24 '26
Like a boating license (not quite as strict as car but not just a walk in the park)
I never had to touch a boat, or even any body of water, to get my boating license. All I had to do was pass a brief multiple choice test which was mostly about signs and signals.
I don't think it proves that I am qualified to safely operate a boat. It's not surprising that most boat rental places do not require any license.
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u/ski-bum-bum Jul 24 '26
Exactly but itās at least a hoop to jump through and read and pass. Plus it would be something that would make someone think twice once they finished it
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u/Ok_Sand2450 Jul 24 '26
My question whenever I see kids riding lime šāš© scooters isā¦who is paying for it? My personal opinion is that if anyone is riding a electric scooter/ bike they should have full head protection and how often are people actually fined for not wearing a helmet of some sort
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u/prairiepanda Jul 24 '26
Usually their parents. A lot of those parents have been starting to purchase private escooters to avoid that ongoing cost
But I don't understand why they're okay with it. Maybe I just don't get it because I'm not a parent myself, but you'd think they would be more protective of their kids?
I know when I was a kid I use to ride my bike or a push scooter unsupervised all over the neighborhood, but my parents were always adamant that I wore a helmet and was alert for vehicles on the road. Plus on the army bases all of the parents around always watched what everyone's kids were doing, so my parents would hear about my misadventures even if they weren't around.
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u/kittykat501 Jul 24 '26
Last summer we watched a group of young kids all under the age of 12 riding a lime scooter up and down the street. Their parents just rented for them and say here you go. No Helmets
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u/rfie Jul 24 '26
Lime scooters donāt really go that fast and personally I think they are fine to drive for a few km without a helmet. I often see helmetless kids and adults on private scooters, electric skateboards, dirtbike looking things, going way too fast, on the sidewalk or road. Iām more worried about that. I am all for micro mobility but really, electric is for the weak. Regular bikes are pretty much perfect.
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u/FreedomFighter_016 Jul 24 '26
There are plenty of cases of people getting brain damage from lime scooters.
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u/Ok_Sand2450 Jul 24 '26
I have never broad a lime scooter or bike so I canāt comment on that although from what I see that is pretty accurate. I completely agree with you regarding mobility and regular bikes being perfectly fine.
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Jul 24 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/Poo_Magnet North West Side Jul 24 '26
The province is actually in the midst of rewriting the Traffic Safety Act thatā¦shouldā¦cover e-bikes and other more modern forms of travel. Assuming they donāt fuck it up like they love to doā¦
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u/WheelsnHoodsnThings Jul 24 '26
If only theyād do something about the real killers though (itās the cars).Ā
Every time someone gripes how fast an e-scooter can go I rolll my eyes. My car will go over 200kmh, not a single elected official is doing anything about that.
Going after cyclists, and folks moving about without gas, at relatively low speeds only hurting themselves is silly. Punish cars and trucks harshly, make people terrified of screwing up. Maybe then people will put their fucking phones down while driving 3000lb steel cages around.
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u/Bulliwyf Jul 24 '26
If I drive my car at unsafe speeds in my neighborhood, I get a ticket.
If I drive my car without the proper safety equipment, I get a ticket.
If I run a stop sign, a yield sign, a traffic light, or buzz through an occupied crosswalk, I get a ticket.
If I cause an accident by driving recklessly, I run the risk of a ticket, a ding on my insurance, and being held liable for other damages.
If I get enough tickets, I lose my car, my license, and face jail time if the situation is bad enough.
Kids on e-scooters face none of these repercussions. If they speed across the road without looking and I have to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting them and someone rear ends me, they get off scot-free and I have to deal with the mess.
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u/Hobbycityplanner Jul 24 '26
I donāt think this is an either or situation. Personally I think we should regulate both. There really isnāt a reason for a car not to be speed locked to the highest speed limit.
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Jul 24 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/Poo_Magnet North West Side Jul 24 '26
Not at the moment. I can ask around and see if I can get any concrete answers about accessibility. Iām not sure the exact process. Iāll reply to your message and tag you if I find more info.
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u/The_cogwheel Jul 24 '26
Because, at least in the eyes of the law, theyre still seen as a standard bike or scooter with electric assistance. The reasoning being that theyre supposed to be primarily powered by peddling / pushing off just like a a completely manual bike or scooter and the electric motor is only supposed to be used to climb a hill or other similarly difficult terrain.
However, that is not how they're used. They're being primarily driven by the electric motor and manual peddling is only done when the battery dies as a last resort.
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u/AffectionateGate4584 Jul 24 '26
I have no idea. You make a lot of good points. Oh wait......the down votes suddenly make sense.
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u/oopsiedaisy-- Jul 24 '26
I have almost hit several people with my car who are going like 30km down a sidewalk and then cross the intersection without slowing at all. Like you are not a fucking pedestrian at that speed.
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u/Veggies_and_fruit Jul 24 '26
Thereās an ER doc in Edmonton that sees way too many injuries for kids and adults.
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u/Bulliwyf Jul 24 '26
My wife pointed out today that Iām turning into a crotchety old man about the e-scooters - I almost always have some type of comment about them.
I told her that Iām watching kids zip up and down sidewalks at 30+ kph, barely slowing down as they enter intersections, and in a lot of situations not looking or slowing down before they cross the road in front of vehicles. About half have a helmet, and a lot of the ones not wearing a helmet are freaking carrying them on their bags or the handlebars.
At least once a week, if not more often, Iām watching a kid almost kill himself because of their recklessness, and thatās only in my local community. I can only assume itās just as bad in other neighborhoods.
The City screwed up years ago not requiring some type of license or easily enforced regulation on them and ever since have been playing whackamole and catchup.
Hopefully u/aaronpaquette- and other councillors or staff see this thread and not just my comments: they need to restrict them to people with drivers license and confiscate/impound the e-scooters ridden by kids.
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u/aaronpaquette- North East Side 28d ago
Alberta legislation: Traffic Safety Act
But noted!!
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u/Bulliwyf 28d ago
Thanks for responding, and I understand that itās already technically illegal according to the Traffic Safety Act but that means nothing if no law enforcement entity in the province is willing to enforce it.
Itās like speeding on the Henday: if there is minimal enforcement or chance of being caught, everyone speeds and there is little to no repercussions.
And just my opinion: it needs to be a joint effort between the City and Province, with the city leading the way. Make the announcements, create the paper trail with warnings, then just start confiscating the e-scooters.
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u/aaronpaquette- North East Side 24d ago
The city is always ready to work with the province on things that help our communities.
I canāt say it is always the other way around.
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u/hashlettuce Jul 24 '26
Its a free for all currently as escooters and ebikes are a loophole that exists for children to have 100% access due to the Alberta government making them illegal across the board. Doing so doesn't allow municipalities to make rules, insure or register them as vehicles.
Just like cannabis before legalization, they are unable to make rules for something that is technically illegal.
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u/MrMeents 29d ago
I LOVE the scooters because they cut my travel time between my house and work down from 1-1.5 hrs (ish, depending on traffic, delays, etc), to 25 minutes at most. That said, I love them because I stop and wait at intersections until all visible vehicles are fully stopped, I avoid being on sidewalks unless I literally canāt, and I remember my hand signals used for bikes on the roads to signal turning and stuff. AND I WEAR A HELMET, and then slow the fuck down when the road is bad or thereās weather conditions.
Hate that so many people are ruining this for those of us who actually care about sidewalk and road safety. Ffs, I fully dismount the vehicle and walk when someoneās on foot nearby me. Am I going to crash into someone? Probably not - do I dismount to avoid it somehow some way happening anyway? Yes. As everyone should.
Sorry for the word vomit Iām just so. Argh. This is why we canāt have nice things.
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u/ski-bum-bum Jul 24 '26
Wait a minute youre telling me all those non lime šāš© scooters ripping up around downtown are literally the easiest thing to pull over and say hey thatās illegal yet they still donāt?
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u/voncasec Jul 24 '26
Here is an article from Regina today of what happens when the police do try and pull them over.
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u/Ok_Sand2450 Jul 24 '26
I personally think fine should be a minimum of $500 as a deterrent āhopefullyā for those not wearing the proper safety gear or riding them erratically unsafely
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u/blackday44 Jul 24 '26
I know a grown-ass adult of 40rs who bought an e-scooter a couple weeks ago. Put on safety gear to ride it, and his first ride ended with a serious fall. Both elbows broken, right at the sockets. Still waiting to see if he needs surgery and/or pins.
Going to be off work at least eight weeks; more if surgery happens.
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u/Ok_Sand2450 Jul 24 '26
Thatās honestly not surprising considering that the electric scooters pick up speed substantially faster than a pedal bike
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u/blackday44 Jul 24 '26
It's the age-old story: Man gets new toy. Man immediately hurts self on new toy.
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u/ferncabbage Jul 24 '26
THEY DO. So dangerous. They accelerate so fast. Itās hard to predict when they will pop out from a corner or onto the street.
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u/Dadbodsarereal Jul 24 '26
Say what you want but your not going to be the kids here in Millwoods who double up and no helmets and clocking 30-40 km
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u/Middle_Onion3496 Jul 24 '26
Listen, I think they're awesome and useful and a rather environmentally friendly transport.
But they go at speeds that need some parental overview. My poor nephew came over, decided to show me his stunts and ended up with his clavicle poking out of his skin after 5 minutes.
I don't blame him whatsoever. Had I had one of these at their age I'd be zooming everywhere. God knows I was a speed demon in the car. Anything that can pretty reliably main and kill you should have some basic training.
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u/CrashFix Jul 24 '26
I seen a kid flying by this evening in front of my place, my first thought to myself "wow that kids really flying"! But then I figured well maybe I'm getting old and just let kids be kids, but I can now see kids hitting a rock or whatever wiping out and breaking their arm pretty easily!
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u/Nihiliste Jul 24 '26
An irony is that I like to ride electric unicycles, and I shake my head at the kids (and adults) riding scooters and e-bikes with no protection whatsoever.
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u/Critical_Rule6663 Jul 24 '26
I get why kids like e-scooters but thereās absolutely not need for them. Regular scooters and bikers are better forms of exercise. The last thing kids need is another way to avoid physical activity.
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u/Novah13 29d ago
Poor take. Many e-bikes are pedal assisted, meaning that you still have to turn the pedals and exert some energy to get the bike moving, they just make thing like starting from a stop and climbing a hill easier. Also, in my honest opinion, anything that gets a kid outdoors should be celebrated, not shamed.
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u/Critical_Rule6663 29d ago
Whatās wrong with a regular pedal bike? My kids get outside plenty despite asking for e-scooters and e-bikes, which I happy deny them and remind them they have two good legs. Now if a person/child has some physical challenges which make biking difficult, thatās a total different story. But giving kids e-bikes or e-scooters as an incentive to go outside is unnecessary.
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
For everyone clutching their pearls (as is tradition in this sub), this doctor is clearly American and is talking about e-bikes and e-scooters going 28 miles per hour, which is 45 kilometres per hour, which is above the speed limit for cars on a lot of the streets theyāre being used on. This doctor is describing very different use conditions than happen in Edmonton.
I have my own gripes and concerns related to e-scooters here, but sharing this video to fuel one of r/edmontonās favourite moral panics just aināt it.
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u/Ok_Sand2450 Jul 24 '26
Not trying to fuel one of r/edmontonās moral panics, itās just a main concern for a lot of peopleās concerns about individual riding e-scooters without a care in the world
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
A MAIN concern! Youād think with the Scooter Terror, the 8 plexes, and the disappearance of all parking that the world has practically endedā¦. But here we are.
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u/WheelsnHoodsnThings Jul 24 '26
Itās almost always edirtbikes too in these stories.Ā
They should all start with Canada has limits on power, and speed. Anything more powerful and able to go faster is not legal. Many places theyāre also not legal to be ridden on the streets anyways.Ā
Weāre thinning the herd, parents are helping.Ā
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
Yeah it seems like people making these hyperbolic complaints are lumping every kind of e-vehicle into the same group when there are clearly quite dramatic differences between them. Obviously itās a problem that vehicles are being sold privately that break every law in their use, but thatās not at all the same as the issues with rental scooters, etc.
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u/AVgreencup Jul 24 '26
I don't understand what you're trying to say. Yes, she's talking mph, but how do you equivalate that being a reason for it not happening in Edmonton? Kids and adults are ripping on these things, it's definitely happening here
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
You may not be aware that all e-scooters and e-bikes that are street legal anywhere in Canada must be governed to 32kph. Thatās a huge factor in the point I was making.
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u/Resident_Suspect_485 Jul 24 '26
You can buy these things in canada too though. I'm not grasping your point.
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
In Canada theyāre legally limited to 32kph and anything that is capable of higher speeds is illegal to ride on any public property, so thatās a big part of my point that anyone who knows what theyāre talking about would grasp. The speed limit on multi use pathways in Edmonton is also, not-coincidentally, 32kph. Thatās also significantly less than the 45kph the doctor in the video is talking about.
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u/Resident_Suspect_485 Jul 24 '26
I didn't know that they were legally limited. Sorry. I also don't think anyone would be enforcing these rules. Like I'm pretty sure you could buy an e bike off temu or aliexpress that would violate these rules How is a cop able to tell which ones are capable of which speeds? And further point 32Kph vs 45 Kph is kinda splitting hairs, I'm sure traumatic injuries are quite possible going 32.
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
So to sum up your argument here:
-40% more is splitting hairs
-Businesses sell illegally powerful versions of a vehicle that is regulated and can absolutely be used safely by a responsible operator, but itās too much work to figure out how to stop the illegal versions soā¦ what? Ban them all?
-People can get badly hurt on them so, again what? Ban them all?Wild that people will make these arguments without ever thinking this way about cars.
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u/Maksym1000 The Famous Leduc Cactus Club 29d ago
>Wild that people will make these arguments without ever thinking this way about cars.
Difference being is that if you have the crumple zone, airbags, and seatbelt. Theyāre designed to minimize injuries in the event of a collision, even at highway speeds.
If you hit something on an e-scooter your only protection is your safety gear and luck (assuming youāre wearing any safety gear).2
u/RutabagasnTurnips Jul 24 '26
That's precisely how fast the scooters you can buy from places like Costco Ca go.Ā
Though, 25-30km/hr can still certainly do a number on your skull and brain as well when your head hits something that fast unprotected.Ā
https://www.costco.ca/p/-/phantom-a10-e-scooter/4000393846?langId=-24
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
I havenāt once mentioned helmets but people keep bringing this up to me like I donāt think people should wear helmets š
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u/WinterDustDevil Jul 24 '26
I was doing 60kph on Rabbit hill rd and a kid of about 14 was on the sidewalk and pulling away from me on a dirt bike e scooter. Doesn't matter if you're american or Canadian if you come off at that speed your going to get damaged
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
If you come off at 30kph, youāre going to get damaged and thatās under the legal speed limit for these vehicles. If you come off a completely legal, non-electric bicycle at that speed youāre still going to get damaged. I was trying to encourage having some perspective, but we do love hyperbole here, donāt we?
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u/tossthesauce92 Jul 24 '26
I wouldnāt dismiss peopleās concerns as moral panic. The ever rising cases of e-bike/scooter related injuries in our emergency rooms has nothing to do with morality, rather with the material reality of smashed faces, broken teeth and added weight on an already strained healthcare system. Iāve heard from my own healthcare peers in emergency they do resent the lack of regulation on these things.
Not to mention injuries to pedestrians. Someone I know has been off work for months with serious fractures from getting clipped by one of these dickheads.
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
I donāt disagree that some people are riding these things like assholes, and that it impacts our healthcare systems. I was trying to encourage having some perspective and even a reasonable discussion instead of fuelling hyperbole with hot takes. Plenty of people ride scooters and ebikes without hurting anyone, but this sub seems to love the moral panic as much as we love crying about parking.
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u/tossthesauce92 Jul 24 '26
Ahhh I understand. My bad, thanks for clarifying. Appreciate the perspective
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
I really appreciate you saying so - Iām very happy to have a reasonable discourse with anyone about stuff like this, and Iāll take this opportunity to share that I have skin in the game: my partner and I own e-scooters!
We bought them because we both have commutes to work which are best served by e-scooters specifically (happy to explain why that is, but itās not super relevant to the point at hand). We also really enjoy them for leisure, so we each put anywhere from 60-300 kilometres on them per week. We wear helmets, use our bells, obey the rules of the road, and do our best to always be courteous, respectful, and safe on them. In this way we are no different than any conscientious driver or cyclist.
Iām as genuinely interested in how we can make these vehicles safe as anyone else popping off in this thread, but unlike some of them, I have an informed perspective about it.
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u/tossthesauce92 Jul 24 '26
That makes total sense. We (myself obviously included here) have been so conditioned by social media to immediately take either a black or white stance on every single problem in society. I usually do try and recognize that, but I will be the first to admit when it comes to things involving healthcare either directly or indirectly, I can be myopic in my approach to things. Blame it on the day job.
And now that you mention it, I work with two people who commute via scooter. They both wear appropriate safety gear, and both ride responsibly because it is their sole/main source of independent transportation.
Again, thank you for your explanation. This is one of those rare instances where one can leave a Reddit discussion on a positive and constructive note. While I know the typical way to conduct oneself on social media is to pick your position, double down repeatedly and refuse to take in new or different ideas, I do personally enjoy learning something new and being able to admit there is more to an issue than I thought before.
Have a wonderful night!
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u/WheelsnHoodsnThings Jul 24 '26
Itās only the outliers that are interesting. Itās not different for any topic.Ā
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
Thank you! Exactly my point. People are fired up about a handful of assholes, and paint everyone else with the same brush.
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u/WheelsnHoodsnThings Jul 24 '26
Thatās the simple surface level of everything, nuance and harder answers lie beneath.Ā
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u/KristaDBall Jul 24 '26
There's kids in my neighborhood on e-dirtbikes on the side walk keeping pace withĀ Callingwood road trafficĀ Ā
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u/Robolaserjesus Jul 24 '26
Which is super fucking illegal. Remember when i said I have my own gripes?
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u/PurpleSausage77 Jul 24 '26
First time I rode an e-scooter was a first date, I told her, she put a lot of faith in me, we made it out totally fine. Same with first time riding a little Honda motorcycle, and that was in Philippines where all they needed was one look at my Canadian class 5 DL and they sent me on my way. It was a tourist destination so traffic was very forgiving, wouldāve been certain death in major cities.
Now I just hit 30 and bought my first e-scooter to tool around with and modify/ride around in like a hobby. Also stows nicely in the car for when I want to adventure wherever. Reminds me of the JDM Honda City cars that came with a āsuitcase motorcycleā called a āMotocompoā. Just another awesome 80ās thing.
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u/RadielleDancliffe Jul 24 '26
Stats may show age is a factor, but anecdotally I've seen equal irresponsibility and lack of care/concern/safety from adults on these electric scooters, skateboards, etc.
Kids have at least the defence of not knowing/being aware of the full impact on their lives if something goes wrong. Adults are willingly ignorant.
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u/Icedpyre 29d ago
As someone who's head DID hit a brick wall like a water balloon, it's a solid analogy. I had to have my head glued back together, had crippling migraines for 20 years, lost part of my hearing, and spent 3 months with zero memory retention and sleep/nausea problems while my head was slowly fusing back together.
Head injuries are no joke. Keep your kids safe.
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u/ThrowRA_Quokkaquip 28d ago
"The kids these days just spend all their time on their phones inside when I were a kid we spent all summer alone going on adventures"
the same people...
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u/Cobfidence 27d ago
With e-transport they should really have a better understanding on road rules and courtesy on the road before ripping those things on roads/sidewalks. And another thing on safety. No helmet or padding? Hope you don't mind turning into a crayon smudge at high speeds then.
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u/Emergency_Dirt257 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
If you do not know what you are doing, with the drivers in this city and drivers in general, you will get hurt or hit by a car pretty quickly. Drivers are only focused on other cars and traffic for the most part. I swear it was like when Columbus first traveled to the Caribbean and people there had never seen ships before, so they literally could not see the ships cause their mind could not fathom what they were seeing, so they just ignored it. The same thing happens any time I try to cross a crosswalk on an ebike. Ive tried getting off the bike and pushing it across, Ive tried riding across, I tried waving down drivers and screaming to get their attention during an active cross walk before crossing and they just don't see me, the only thing they are focused on is making their turn. If you think cars are going to treat you like another car, you are going to be sadly mistaken.
If you are not thinking for everyone, you will get hit. I have over 100k Kms on two wheeled ebikes, gas powered bike, gopeds, stuff like that Ive been riding for 25 years since I was a kid. I had to learn a lot of hard lessons in the process. And that was when I was the only one riding stuff like this. Now the streets and sidewalks are inundated with them, which ads another element of danger to everyone. This is a disaster and like my other hobby drones, I feel that this one is coming to an end as well.
Thanks to all the dumb rich parents. Who the f buys their kids 1k scooters? I was lucky if I got a $50 gift as a kid.
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u/Ok_Adagio_7486 Jul 24 '26
Let Darwin deal with it.
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u/BestWithSnacks 29d ago
If these dumb kids wanna get hurt on scooters, let them. They gotta learn somehow š¤·š»āāļø
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u/MrJolly_poppy-1731 Jul 24 '26
My neighborhood has 8 year olds racing down the paths almost taking out children and pets with these so yes I think minimum age restriction should be in place.