Hey, there! Log in / Register
Bye, bye Birdies
By adamg on Wed, 08/08/2018 - 9:47am
flock of birds getting impounded in #CambMA this morning @universalhub pic.twitter.com/xcwgWdRhxx
— Ethan McCoy (@ethan_mccoy) August 8, 2018
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
I have been seeing dockless
I have been seeing dockless Ant rental bikes being left next to docked Blue bikes recently... kind of obnoxious.
Here's a twofer
Under what authority?
What ordinance or regulation is Bird violating?
If I lock my bike to a parking meter or a tree or whatever, will the City come haul it away?
Under numerous violations
Violations:
- Operating a business without a permit (State and Local law)
- All motorized vehicles (gas or electric) must have license plates, turn signals and lights, and helmets must be used (state law)
- Using public property for vehicle storage without a permit (local law)
- Profiting from a public resource without a permit (local law)
There are probably more, but these are what I'm aware of. They may be a convenient and innovative solution to getting around urban areas but they clutter and disrupt already undersized sidewalks.
And no, your personal bike will not be hauled away if it is parked properly
Motorized vehicles
Isn't that part of the law only for vehicles that can travel beyond some speed limit? It surely doesn't apply to the various personally owned electric scooters, electric skateboards, and electric-assist-wheel equipped bikes (e.g. Superpedestrian's Copenhagen Wheel) that I see all over.
Engine size
Size does matter: 50cc.
Max speed of 30 mph.
From: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/moped-registration-and-operation-requi...
Are you a business selling a service?
I see this comment all the time but dont understand it. Your bike is not merchandise or part of a business. Bird scooters are. Businesses are subject to different rules than private citizens. And plenty of businesses do work *with* the city to use public resources like sidewalks in ways that benefit the public and the business - sidewalk seating for example, or blue bikes.
Bird was warned a week ago and offered a chance to work with the city.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/07/31/cambridge-bird-scooters-ple...
They refused, and now the city is making good on their promise to enforce the permit ordinance.
Doesn't matter
The city has the right to move most objects left on public property, cars and bikes included.
Only under certain conditions
Only under certain conditions.
They don't have the right to tow a legally-parked car, unless there's an emergency.
please do not lock your bike to a tree
This can damage the bark and kill the tree.
I'm sure Bird has social
I'm sure Bird has social media shills/influencers trying to drum up outrage against things like regulations and ordinances.
Locking my bike to a tree or parking meter
if your bike blocks sidewalk passage or the use of a handicap spot, you may be looking for a blue bike docking station when you return to the parking meter that you used as a lock station.
Like the city cares about disability access
I saw a woman have to back up her powerchair and back track an entire block because of construction at Franklin and Washington - they pushed their fence all the way out across the sidewalk to a light pole, and there was no downramp for her to get around.
One would think that a permit inspection would note this ... but no.
Like the City cares about disability Access
Swirlygirl, yeah, that would be Boston. Cambridge Does, indeed care. Take a note that these guys work for Cambridge. G'day.
happy cambridge did this - hopefully they strip the units also
For-profit companies should be spanked hard when their business plan is based entirely off of monetizing public resources by dumping their latest junk on sidewalks and public spaces while evading or dodging all attempts at regulation or city oversight.
This is unsolicited litter plain and simple and the city should treat it as such
The scooters do contain some really nice batteries and motors though -- in my dream scenario someone would strip the batteries and motors from this garbage the city found on public sidewalks and donate it to engineering classrooms and STEM education spaces
"And They Ran, They Ran So Far Away..."
"They couldn't get away..."
Why can't Bird just play nice?
Do they really think it would be that hard to work with the communities, or are they just jerks?
Lithium
The future is in lithium batteries. Each Bird scooter has about $200 in lithium cells in it (based on my rough internet searching). It has 30 cells for 280 Wh per scooter. I'm pretty sure they're the same lithium cells that nearly every other vehicle, etc. takes.
I don't exactly understand what keeps these things from just being scavenged. Unlike the green bikes where the parts are garbage, that battery is worth almost the entire cost of the scooter.
Thank god they got rid of
Thank god they got rid of these transportation options off of the sidewalk. I was so afraid that I would walk into one of them and trip. Now I can enjoy my 3-hour long T ride in peace.
Also, how dare they set this up without first paying for government
bribespermits. The fact that a new business has to pay for 50+ permitsand bribesand wait years is a feature, not a bug, of Mass.wait, these guys needed a
wait, these guys needed a lift to put them in the back of their truck? lol