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Post: Scooter riders don't annoy me

I'm a simple emigrant and scooter riders don't annoy me

7/2/2025, 10:10:49 AM

I kept watching stand-up and other Russian-language comedy and kept wondering why these scooter riders annoy me so much. I even heard fake news, supposedly you can report a scooter rider for a violation and get a percentage of the fine he pays. And so, after the trip home, I finally understood what it was about: in Tyumen they not only ride like crazy, but also on the sidewalk! Very strange and wild. In my opinion, it's another example of how quickly you get used to something good, and you notice it only when you see how it can be different. In Germany electric scooters are considered vehicles. Owners here are obliged to register it, have insurance and ride exclusively on bike lanes or the roadway. Rushing like maniacs on the sidewalk is strictly forbidden, to my happiness. The age limit is at least 14 years old, although this is certainly not always observed, as is the rule that you can ride only one at a time. And the most important thing is that the maximum speed of scooters here is only 20 km/h. Moreover, this limit is set technically, that is, even if you wanted to, you can't go faster. Major rental operators like Tier, Bolt or Lime additionally regulate speed by software: in some zones they slow down to 12 or even 6 km/h, and somewhere they stop completely. In a similar vein: they park them here as badly and wherever as well. Rental companies even offer free time if you find a scooter parked, for example, in bushes. I’ve used rental scooters a couple of times, and it turned out that the price for this pleasure isn’t exactly cheap. In Frankfurt, scooter rental costs about 25 cents per minute and a fixed starting fee—usually one euro. My 13-minute ride cost 4 euros; basically, a taxi would have been a bit more expensive. Sometimes I’m curious how all these kids have so much money to ride scooters endlessly. Maybe they park them somewhere randomly on purpose and endlessly get free time? No thanks for the idea 😅 Overall, the scooter is convenient when you need to quickly reach the subway or the office, bypassing traffic and hunting for parking. But it's often used, for example, to get from a bar to home. In Germany you can drive a little drunk, even behind the wheel of a car, but only a little. With scooters too: if you get into an accident while drunk — you’ll definitely get a fine, and you may lose your license and face criminal charges. So basically, scooter riders here don’t annoy me, unlike the hulks who burst out from behind your back on the sidewalk without a bell or warning. Are you annoyed by scooters? Or do you like riding them yourself?