I live in Santa Barbara but work in Venice Beach. About 10 months ago, the scooter company Bird started dumping electric scooters all over our sidewalks. In Santa Barbara recently, I saw my first Lime scooter, Bird’s smaller, more garishly colored competitor. A guy with no helmet was riding it, ran a red light, and made a left turn from Santa Barbara Street into oncoming traffic on Figueroa.
The companies' pitch is that they help solve parking and traffic problems, are fun and convenient for quick trips, or are “Last Mile” devices to get from public parking or transportation to a destination. Riders use a phone app to locate a scooter, activate it, and be billed for the ride ($1 plus 15¢ a minute), then park it in a convenient spot for the next rider. The rules say riders must be over 18, have a driver's license, a helmet, and follow all traffic rules — no riding on the sidewalk, no riding double, no obstructing sidewalks, driveways, doorways, etc.
In reality, these rules are largely ignored.