With today’s economy, people are trying to find cheaper ways to travel. From gas prices to the cost of cabs, people are looking for less expensive alternatives to get around the city. “Green” is the new trend and people are trying to discover new innovations, which will be less hurtful to our environment. One company is trying to put a new spin on public transportation. Recently entered into the Australian Design Competition, was the idea of having scooters attached to light posts, in order to provide an easier way to travel around heavily trafficked tourist areas and places where people tend to walk on foot. The electric scooters charge while in the light post attachment and can reach speeds of 16km/h.
I find the idea to be very interested. The ability to rent an electric scooter to travel throughout the city rather than walking on foot could be very appealing at times. With parking in Boston as crazy as it is, the ability to rent an electric scooter would certainly help those of us who only travel short distances. This idea would also allow people to travel a little farther than normal without being forced into heavy traffic, which tends to accumulate throughout the city. I believe the idea has a lot of potential, but as you see with any new innovational idea, it needs work.
There are many issues in regards to this idea. One major issue is how to prevent theft of these scooters, which unless you intend to put GPS devices on them, would be difficult to do. It would take up a large amount of time to keep track of these scooters at all times. It is my assumption that there would be a credit card machine attached to these scooter holders in which you could pay for a certain amount of time. However, how would you guarantee that these scooters are returned after a certain amount of time? It also brings into question whether you would need to return the scooter to its original location or if you would be able to put it back in any empty slot. People may also incur the issue of finding an available spot to put their scooter after they reach their destination. There are many questions, which need to be answered before anything like this would be put into production, but the idea is fascinating. Who knows, 5 years down the line all major city sidewalks maybe crowded with electric scooters.
