Pedestrians, E-Scooters Are Clashing In the Struggle For Sidewalk Space (latimes.com)

Slashdot reader mileshigh writes: Activists in California have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that parked scooters littering sidewalks interfere with sidewalk accessibility for people with multiple types of disabilities and violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Many people have been wondering when this would happen since California courts are notoriously friendly to ADA complaints and lawsuits. Realistically, this type of lawsuit may well be the Achilles' heel of scooter-sharing services, especially if they're granted class-action status as this lawsuit is requesting. Will likely be the first of many. "Without full use of the sidewalk and curb ramps at street intersections, persons with mobility and/or visual impairments have significant barriers in crossing from a pedestrian walkway to a street," the suit alleges. "This is exacerbated when the sidewalk itself is full of obstructions and no longer able to be fully and freely used by people with disabilities."

The suit accuses the city of not maintaining streets and sidewalks in a way that doesn't discriminate against the disabled and allowing "dockless scooters used primarily for recreational purposes to proliferate unchecked throughout San Diego and to block safe and equal access for people with disabilities." The lawsuit also alleges the scooter companies have been allowed to "appropriate the public commons for their own profit."

Comments

Motorized

[fluffernutter]

Why would anyone think it was ok to ride a motorized vehicle on the sidewalk?

Re:Motorized

[Areyoukiddingme]

Why would anyone think it was ok to ride a motorized vehicle on the sidewalk?

Carrying on the time honored Slashdot tradition of not even reading the summary I see...

They're not. They're parking on the sidewalks. And the city government is too lazy and incompetent to do their fucking jobs and enforce their own laws, as with most California cities. Until now, when somebody finally found a bigger victim. In California's victim politics, the biggest victim wins.

Re:Motorized

[Rick Schumann]

Note: I've been riding motocycles for over 35 years
Unlike these pesky e-scooters, which require no training or licensing of any kind, no safety equipment, no minimum age, no insurance, and so on, motorcycles require knowledge and training, testing, licensing, insurance, and operate on PUBLIC ROADS. Apples and hand grenades. Try again troll.

Re:Motorized

[Crispy Critters]

The FA may not talk about it, but most people are riding them on the sidewalk in San Diego. I would say about 3/4, but it probably varies by neighborhood. Some scooter riders use bike lanes and follow normal bike safety protocols around traffic, but less than 1 in 10 wears a helmet.

It's a problem with a pretty clear solution

[rsilvergun]

send meter maids around to collect the scooters that are illegally parked and auction them off. This is what most municipalities are doing and it pretty much would wreck their business model, which they seem to be aware of .

I don't necessarily think this is a bad idea. It could potentially make commuting by bus viable in major cities that were laid out with cars in mind and do so long before self driving cars are a thing. But more thought needs to be given to it.

Re:It's a problem with a pretty clear solution

[b0s0z0ku]

Don't auction them off. Just charge $10 per scooter to the scooter company for relocating them to a more appropriate parking location.

Re:It's a problem with a pretty clear solution

[Etcetera]

major cities that were laid out with cars in mind

Name one.

Los Angeles
San Diego (my home town)
Most of California outside of the super-high-density downtown cores

Hell, I *live* in Downtown San Diego (which is as dense as SD gets) and a) cars are important (though parking is now restricted on 5th Ave during Friday and Saturday nights to make room for Uber pickups), and b) scooters are everywhere and are universally despised despite being pretty fun to ride.