The Bird assholes filed for bankruptcy! Although I am in favor of prohibiting cars from the downtowns of the world’s major cities, these dangerous, eyesores were not a solution. I saw people risking their lives way too often on Austin’s busy streets while sober and drunk. While waiting in line for Simple Minds at the ACL Theater, I witnessed this dude seriously wipe out at Guadalupe and Second. He was lucky. In addition to killing stupid people, they are cluttered all around the corners of major intersections, along with other brands.
Given how fuckin’ fat we Americans are, especially in the South (guilty! I’m stuck around 260 lbs/118 kg) and the Midwest (where I’m from), walking as much as possible is the best remedy. We in Austin live in a great climate! If you’re in a hurry, you should’ve planned better too. What about bikes? Here, I’m good with them. We have protected lanes in many places around the city and its outskirts. I even wear a helmet when today. I wasn’t keen on it in 1994-95, my prime biking period round Austin, all ended thanks to some assholes stealing my bike! I was just dumb and stubborn yet I stand by how the city should up the penalties for careless drives given how they’re way more often at fault, ergo, to scare them into paying attention, charge them with manslaughter. Especially now that I see assholes on their phones.
But back to Bird and the scooters! All brands should be scooped on a hedge-fund’s dime and all the materials recycled into something useful. If we don’t, I fear they’ll end up where they have been often found, abandoned in our lakes, canals and rivers, polluting.