Panties in a Bunch

Cities across the country (including Meridian, Idaho) are getting their panties in a bunch over dockless scooters from companies such as Lime and Bird. Unsurprisingly, the cities want to control the scooters and the people who use them. This is stupid and unnecessary. These tiny, low-speed, low-power scooters (just 250 watts) should not be considered or regulated as vehicles. They should be regarded as “Pedestrian Assistive Technology” (albeit without requiring users to have any defined disability.)

There should be no requirements mandating drivers licenses, insurance, or helmets, nor should there be any age or sobriety limitations. The scooters should be allowed anywhere pedestrians are permitted such as sidewalks and along streets when sidewalks are unavailable. Let me reiterate that there should be no more regulation on these scooters than there should be on shoes (which is none.) Get the bureaucrats out of the way and let this new technology flourish free from interference by the state and its enforcers.

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Parrish Miller has worked as a web designer, policy analyst, blogger, journalist, digital media manager, and social media marketing consultant. Having been largely cured of his political inclinations, he now finds philosophy more interesting than politics and is focused particularly on alternative ideas such as counter-economics, agorism, voluntaryism, and unschooling.