What really grinds my gears!

[Bosco]

So we've had an extended stretch of extreme heat for quite a while (not untypical for July) and soon as we've gotten a break from the heat to enjoy the weather outside without sweating our asses off, we get air quality alerts due to the ongoing Canadian wildfires. Pink sunsets and pink sunrises a cool look, but I just want to comfortably get outside without risking my health in some fashion!

End of meaningless first-world nation rant, compared to what else is happening in the world...


Stay strong out there peeps.

[shakermaker]

Still no news of the tracklist for the album.

I noticed recently that, when they did eventually announce the tracklist, they did it in two parts! & I thought of you.

Seriously, though - why would they announce half a track list and wait to announce the other half?

[Bosco]

E-Bikes, E-Scooters, and E-Dirt Bikes.

An amazing and affordable breakthrough for transportation, but totally unregulated and available to children. Younger riders don't have the concept of road safety and nor the concept of NOT riding on pedestrian passageways. Since the bikes are battery operated and can top speeds of over 35mph on some models (mostly the E-Dirt Bikes), they're silent death machines.

Has this spread worldwide?

Trying not to be an old-man here, but it's become an increasingly bad problem over the past few years.

[Csar]

This has been an issue for quite some years now. In Germany, E-scooters are only allowed on streets/roads and bike lanes, not on sidewalks (sometimes pedestrian ways share with bike lanes, though, I don't know what the rules are then). You're not allowed to pass 20 km/h (~12 mph) and you can be fined if you violate these rules. If you drive drunk, you could even lose your driver's license.

For my city, rather than wild drivers, we have to deal with lots of randomly parked rented bikes and scooters everywhere. People often just put them in the middle of a sidewalk or where ever they feel like it, which directly shows you the ignorant attitude of considerable parts of our society (me first!).

[sandelic]

My country is just this year decided to finally get this sorry situation in order, after we had few fatalities among kids.
Of course, blame lays squarely on ignorant parents who let kids go wild in streets, no helmet and barely any knowledge of traffic rules. 
Mind you, this is also after now years of public outcry. 

[Bosco]

My country is just this year decided to finally get this sorry situation in order, after we had few fatalities among kids.
Of course, blame lays squarely on ignorant parents who let kids go wild in streets, no helmet and barely any knowledge of traffic rules.
Mind you, this is also after now years of public outcry.

This is the situation for where I'm from too. They're starting to put together the groundwork of "what is" and "what isn't allowed", however there is absolutely no enforcement. Things have cooled (symbolically and literally) since school is back from summer and actual cooler conditions (wet/ice/snow) are ahead in my area. I've heard reports they're assembling kids while at school and telling them what is acceptable riding. We'll see if that works...

I hate to be an ageist, but it's most certainly young people that are the problem. I don't blame them for wanting to ride these bikes/scooters, but they aren't given proper education of the road, nor the understanding of where and where not to ride. These type vehicles have been around awhile (even for me in my youth), but in combustion engine form. The sudden wide availability and affordability of e-vehicles has caused immediate reform that I think nobody was ready for.

I do think e-vehicles are the future, but it's quite obvious that some of the vehicles need licenses and require insurance. The scary part is actual automobile driving behavior has gotten worse over the years, and now you add this to the mix... honestly don't want to drive anymore sometimes, as great of an ability and privilege that it is.