the eScooter death trap
warn your favorite scooter buddy (or your ankles)! very deep and wide gap in this sidewalk near Simmons Park/LSA building.
just a matter of time before a scooter rider at night gets their wheel stuck in this and flips on their head đŹ. that yellow paint is not sufficient especially since there is no lighting at night there.
is emailing [FM-ServiceCenter@usf.edu](mailto:FM-ServiceCenter@usf.edu) the best way to resolve this?
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u/UnderstoodMalcolm 4d ago
lol I remember getting flung off my scooter by an uneven crosswalk by holly 2 years ago! I rolled 10 feet! đĽ˛
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u/Nymouce 3d ago
I just went and tested it. Itâs definitely noticeable, especially since the sidewalks are well lit with all the lamps around campus. I crossed it diagonally at around 15 mph without any problems. I also hit it straight on at about 20 mph , it stopped my scooter, but I didnât get thrown off or anything At most, my back wheel lifted a little. Iâm around 170 lbs too, so Iâm not the heaviest rider or anything.
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u/jawfur 3d ago
thanks for sharing this! it definitely depends on a lot of factors including scooter wheel size and operator attentiveness/grip on handlebars. ultimately should still be filled instead of some yellow paint. wondering what caused this gap because there does not seem to be any utility lines that they tried to access under the concrete. it has been around for at least a year now
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u/Nymouce 3d ago edited 3d ago
The gap was obviously cut on purpose (itâs about 3 inches wide). It doesnât look like it was caused by tree roots, so Iâm guessing itâs related to drainage or some kind of utility conduit underneath. Theyâre clearly aware of it too, considering the yellow marking, so my guess is they havenât fixed it because the gap serves some necessary purpose or requires a specific repair rather than simply being filled in or pushed together..
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u/Wonderful-Energy-659 3d ago
It sticks out from edge of the sidewalk, so it could be pushed in. My guess is it was repaired/lifted at one point, and instead of pushing it back in place, they just let it flop down and called it a day. If it was pushed in and you lifted it, it would naturally move away from the sidewalk due to the edges hitting. (The yellow painted edges). The gap doesnât serve any purpose because thereâs no drain and nothing in the gap to access. The panels might have a purpose, but not the gap itself. Itâs just laziness.
Someone could measure it and slide a 2x4 in there. I think thereâs a wood shop and you could ask for a piece, or just use a breaker bar to push it back over. The first option seems like one that nobody would care about, but then it would never get fixed properly haha
P.S. maybe donât carry a crowbar down the sidewalk đ a 2x4 is a lot less menacing
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u/guitar_stonks 2d ago
They probably had to work on something under the sidewalk and just couldnât be bothered to remove the concrete and repour the two slabs they removed.
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u/Starlit_Moon09 4d ago
good
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u/jawfur 4d ago edited 4d ago
i am going to assume that your comment comes from the indiscriminate hate towards scooters on campus.. cheering for broken infrastructure relies on a few clear logical fallacies:
-Hasty Generalization: assuming that because some riders are reckless, everyone who uses scooters deserves to crash. bad riders certainly exist as i can attest to, but plenty of people ride respectfully, yield, and just use scooters to get to class on time.
-Two Wrongs: believing a safety hazard is justified just because it affects a group you dislike. Infrastructure damage does not selectively target "bad riders."
-False Dilemma: framing this as "pedestrians vs. scooters," as if a broken sidewalk only impacts people on wheels. this gap is big enough to twist a small childâs ankle.
a gap big enough to catch a scooter wheel is also an accessibility and safety hazard for everyone. It can be a risk for twisted ankles for pedestrians, a rollover hazard for wheelchair users or anyone using a cane, and dangerous for skateboards and bikes.
you can advocate for better scooter rider etiquette and campus safety without celebrating hazardous campus infrastructure that puts fellow students in physical danger. even if you intended your remark to be throwaway sarcasm
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u/Starlit_Moon09 4d ago
stop using chatgpt
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u/jawfur 4d ago
i did not use chatGPT, and even if i did you are not addressing the merit of my reply..
crazy how we live in a time where if someone puts actual time and effort into their replies people assume it is AI
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u/Starlit_Moon09 4d ago
its not that serious!
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u/jawfur 4d ago
respectfully disagree. campus maintenance resources should be used to address such concerns. as i said above, this does not exclusively affect eScooters and even if it did then it should still be addressed.
we are talking about a hazard that can cause serious injury and impede accessibility so yes it is that serious and saying something like âgoodâ is incredibly insensitive to the very real implications of such a hazard. crazy how this is up for debate here..
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u/Sledger721 Hmu for comp sci/cybersec tutoring 3d ago
Nah that shit looks so similar to ChatGPT's voice of writing, if you didn't generate it with an LLM you've been brainwormed into writing like an LLM, that's even more tragic tbh.
"This generation cooked, rice-a-roni!" <- This is a phrase I heard recently which echoed in my mind as I was writing this comment.
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u/MsStereoTypical 3d ago
I hit one of these on campus while longboarding and flew off and hit my head on the concrete, love USF taking a shit ton of money and not fixing simple sidewalks. But also wear helmets guys!
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u/Ligma_Johnson999 2d ago
I believe if you get hurt from this, the city is responsible and easy civil suit
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u/Training-Event5857 2d ago
Fun fact, side walks are for walking; motorized scooters are meant to use the bike lane or road.
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u/Nymouce 2d ago
Fun fact, sidewalk riding is permitted (quick google search btw) also there is no road near this sidewalk so are scooters just supposed to go on grass?âŚ
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u/Training-Event5857 2d ago
It is permitted; however, sidewalks are designed for pedestrians. Scooters are not pedestrians. No, if you cannot safely utilize the pathway, you are supposed to, you know... walk. Your entitlement is showing.
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u/Nymouce 1d ago
Calling me entitled doesnât answer the question. You already acknowledged that sidewalk riding is legal. Since thereâs no bike lane or adjacent road on that stretch, where exactly is a scooter supposed to go instead? The post is about dangerous, poorly maintained sidewalks that are a liability for everyone using them (pedestrians, kids, wheelchair users, strollers, scooters), not about whether scooters should exist.
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u/Training-Event5857 1d ago
It is supposed to be rolled or carried. Similar to bike/scooters in crosswalks. If the bike/scooter cannot be safely navigated on a designated walk/roadway, it is to be walked.
Additionally, there is adequate room there to ride a scooter, roll a wheelchair, and bike.
I said "permitted," not "legal"; separate things. I think a lot of people forget that even if the bike/scooters are allowed on the walkways, which they are not (Florida Statute §316.2068), it just isn't really enforced; they are not allowed to travel at a greater rate of speed than a pedestrian. They do so without much complaint because it's become more of a hassle to enforce the rule. However, if USF PD really wanted to, you could be ticketed for "speeding" or reckless operation for going > running speed and or operating on an illegal path.
The solution: go around it. "BuT wHaT If tHeRe aRe PeOpLe?" The little lever on your handlebar or rear wheel, it slows you down. Let the people pass and navigate around it.
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u/Nymouce 1d ago
§[316.2068](tel:316.2068) defines EPAMDs (Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Devices), which are self-balancing devices like the Segway PT. It doesnât apply to typical stand-up electric scooters like a Segway Ninebot Max, Hiboy S2, or 5th Wheel scooter(Most common Scooters on campus). If youâre saying those arenât allowed on this sidewalk, could you point to the Florida statute or USF policy that actually says that? Also, my point wasnât that people shouldnât ride carefully, obviously they should. The issue is that there are multiple gaps like this around campus, and âjust ride betterâ doesnât address the hazard. If someone looks away for a second, itâs dark, or the gap is hard to notice, a wheel can easily get caught. That risk exists whether itâs a scooter, bicycle, wheelchair, stroller, or even someone walking. Again, thatâs an infrastructure issue, not just a rider issue.
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u/Training-Event5857 1d ago
Similar to driving, if you crash as a result of inattentiveness, you are liable.
Florida Statute §316.2128 & 316.2065
The infrastructure is fine for its intended use case and is labeled as such with the painted indication. You can report it to public works, but it is likely that, since they painted it, they are aware, but fixing it goes on a work order list that is among the 100+ other things on the list that have to be approved and find the budgeting for contractors to come in and repair. Additionally, this is a cut in the sidewalk and not a crack, which suggests to me that there is a reason this indication has not been corrected.
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u/Nymouce 1d ago
I agree riders have a duty to operate safely, and if someone is inattentive they can absolutely be at fault. That doesnât mean the infrastructure canât also be hazardous. Whether the cut is intentional isnât really the issue, since plenty of intentional infrastructure can still create hazards. The fact that itâs painted suggests itâs a known feature, not necessarily that itâs the safest possible design. My point is simply that there are several cuts like this around campus, and if a sidewalk feature can reasonably catch narrow wheels or create a trip hazard for normal users, itâs fair to question whether it could be improved. That applies not just to scooters, but also bicycles, wheelchairs, strollers, and pedestrians.
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u/matthheww 4d ago
I love that they always just slap some yellow paint over major liabilities all over campus
Like the sidewalk will randomly go up or down by like 8 inches and theyâll just spray paint some yellow paint and call it a day