Cyril Haearn wrote:I want to ask those who use e-scooters:
How have your travel habits changed?
The trips by e-scooter, how were they made before? Cycle, walk, car, bus, tram, train? Or are they new trips?
For me I only started using the e-scooter to replace driving to work as much as possible - I got rid of my little runaround car as it is obsolete since I still have a campervan which I can use when I am ill or the weather is too severe or if I need to carry passengers or make additional detours aside from my actual commute etc. My trip is 7km each way, but it is mostly across the industrial part of town which is poorly served by the public transport network. Any trips I need to make that are shorter or with less time constraints are made on foot, or by bike when the weather is nice.
It has taken a little while to get into the swing of it, and learn how to be safe and responsible - but I feel it makes a really positive difference - I interact with pedestrians on the way rather than being insulated in the bubble of the cockpit, soaking up the road rage - so the journey is socially rewarding. It is also more physically active as I am standing and constantly adjusting position for balance, while frequently using foot power to navigate junctions/kerbs or other obstructions, and also the occasional push to assist the motor going up hills. I finish my journey with a slight buzz but without feeling particularly tired. It is also more mentally stimulating as you need to sustain a much higher level of awareness to drive appropriately to the conditions and anticipate risks and navigate obstructions - this is good as I find it is far too easy to revert to autopilot in the car, being the primary cause of most road traffic incidents, even riding a bike can lead to complacency as they can coast at quite high speeds with little interaction with the handle bars. On an e-scooter you have to make a conscious effort to almost stop just to scratch your nose, since removing one hand from the bars at any speed can easily result in a flying face-plant into the floor! after getting rid of the spare car, I am much more likely to walk to the local shops (with my granny trolley!) rather than taking the easy option of driving up to Asda, so I am more contributing more to the local economy also - there are plenty of other fringe benefits I never really think too much about to be honest...