FartsWithAnAccent

Yeah, you're talking about me: I am that someone. You're welcome.

You want your web experience infested with ads, malware, and scams, that's your business. Good luck!

That's pretty close to my average speed and I'm just a commuter on a 30lb hardtail MTB with shitty infrastructure. I'd wager anyone who can ride a bike can easily go faster than that on a flat, even if they weren't a regular rider.

Fitted road bike? I do it regularly on a 3x7 hardtail MTB loaded down with pannier bags and a frame bag. That's not downhill, that's on a flat. I am just an ordinary bike commuter too, not an athlete and I have a low end steel Trek meant for single track MTB riding. It weighs at least 30 lbs with all my stuff on it.

I think you are overestimating how hard it is to go fast with little to no training and the right gear, even someone who doesn't ride regularly could probably hit 20 on a flat if they tried. Downhill you can hit 35mph+ even if you aren't in shape and barely know how to ride.

Well then enjoy your suffering I guess. Seems insane that anyone would willingly subject themselves to that shitshow but you do you buddy!

Houston First President and CEO Michael Heckman said scooters in downtown “are being rented for entertainment and often mischievous use around areas unintended for motorized scooters.”

Martinez and Council Member Twila Carter both sit on the Houston First board.

Mobility and equity advocates, however, argued the process was rushed and could lead to over-policing. Ed Pettitt, vice president of the Greater Third Ward Super Neighborhood, emailed council members Tuesday night urging them to delay the vote, warning that the ordinance misinterprets safety data and could invite pretextual policing.

Jake Cooper, founder of Rent EBoards, said the city’s decision to scale back its original ban was “a step in the right direction,” but he remains wary of the curfew’s reach.

“Ideally, you wouldn’t need a curfew — people should be able to ride whenever as long as they’re doing it safely and responsibly,” he said. “We should enforce the rules we already have instead of adding new ones.”

The council’s Quality of Life Committee is expected to revisit the ordinance in early December, when members will take public testimony and consider possible amendments.

Also:

Houston approves nighttime scooter curfew amid public safety concerns Ryan Nickerson 6–7 minutes People ride e-scooters and other electric vehicles around Discovery Green in downtown Houston, TX on Friday July 26, 2025. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration has proposed an outright ban on e-scooters in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

People ride e-scooters and other electric vehicles around Discovery Green in downtown Houston, TX on Friday July 26, 2025. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration has proposed an outright ban on e-scooters in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. Sharon Steinmann/Houston Chronicle

The Houston City Council voted Wednesday to establish a citywide curfew on electric scooter use and rentals between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., citing what officials called a growing public safety risk downtown

The measure follows months of debate over how to regulate electric scooters and other micromobility transportation. Mayor John Whitmire said a surge of reckless nighttime riding has become “one of the city’s No. 1 security risks,” pointing to repeated complaints from hotels and businesses near Discovery Green and the George R. Brown Convention Center.

"Not only are Houston First's activities, but obviously Discovery Green, out hotels, and our sports venues are being jeopardized," Whitmire said.

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At council, he recalled leaving a recent Dynamo game and having to step off the sidewalk to let scooter riders pass. He also mentioned a recent incident in which a resident of a high-rise near Discovery Green reported a bullet fired through the building’s lobby, which Whitmire suggested was linked to scooter activity.

The city’s enforcement data from 2021-25 shows 129 scooters seized, 74 impounded, 53 vendor warnings, 13 vendor citations, 3,016 rider warnings, 51 rider citations, five guns seized and eight arrests. No deaths were reflected in the city's data. Meanwhile, Houston last year recorded its deadliest year on record for vehicle drivers, passengers and pedestrians, with 345 people killed on Houston-area streets, a record high after two years of declines.

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Under the new rules, riding or renting an electric scooter or other “micromobility device” between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. is prohibited citywide. The same curfew applies to off-highway vehicles such as ATVs. Scooters used for commuting to work or school, in emergencies, or by first responders and city employees are exempt. Devices operated in violation may be impounded and subject to fines of up to $500 per offense.

The ordinance also bans temporary pop-up rental stands and requires all rentals to come from permitted brick-and-mortar vendors.

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The curfew replaces an earlier proposal that would have banned scooters entirely within downtown, Midtown, and East Downtown. After months of public feedback, city officials shifted to a time-based restriction meant to curb late-night “joyriding” while preserving commuter use.

Council Member Julian Ramirez, who chairs the Quality of Life Committee, objected to voting Wednesday since the final ordinance language wasn’t publicly released until Friday afternoon, giving residents little opportunity to review or comment before the vote. He moved to delay the item for two weeks, which would have delayed the vote until after the Thanksgiving break.

That prompted a tense exchange.

Whitmire and several council members urged Ramirez not to delay, warning that the holiday season would bring heavier pedestrian traffic downtown and that the city couldn’t, in Whitmire’s words, “yield to special interest groups.” Council Member Joaquin Martinez warned that he would override Ramirez' tag.

This debate came just weeks after Council Member Letitia Plummer attempted to pass an ordinance creating a “high-risk” designation for Houston’s most dangerous apartment complexes — a measure she argued could be amended later. Many of her colleagues resisted, voting 9–7 to reject it after raising policy concerns. For the scooter ordinance, however, council members took the opposite approach, allowing it to pass with the understanding that it could be revised later.

After a 15-minute recess, Ramirez withdrew his move to delay, saying Whitmire had promised to hold a public Quality of Life Committee hearing in early December to gather feedback and consider amendments.

“I value transparency and folks having a say in their government,” Ramirez said. “With the understanding that we’ll hold a public hearing in early December to take input and consider tweaks, I will not exercise a tag.”

On Tuesday, Houston First Corporation, which oversees the city’s convention and tourism efforts, urged council to approve the measure, citing widespread complaints from hotels and downtown businesses about unsafe riding and blocked sidewalks.

Do yourself a favor and install Firefox or Librewolf with the uBlock Origin extension installed, then click on Reader Mode: This will make the web in general much more usable and much less dangerous (ads are a huge malware and scam attack vector).

If it goes faster than 28 mph, has a motor more powerful than 1000w, or lacks usable pedals, it's not an e-bike at all. People riding these things get people who ride actual electric bicycles fucked over though, which is unfortunate because electric assisted bicycles open up a lot of opportunities for people who are elderly or have other physical disabilities.

I am all for making e-moto and e-bikes legally distinct but punishing cyclists because of e-moto bullshit is a stupid decision. Also, parents who buy their kids motorcycles with no training, safety gear, or evaluation of their child's judgement should be held accountable instead of the people who are just trying to get to work on an e-bike.

You can go 25mph and faster on a bicycle no problem, I reject the argument that e-bikes (not e-moto) are a significant danger. That's mostly cabrain propaganda that people who chose to stop thinking accept.

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Schumer and Jeffries are controlled opposition: There's no reasonable explanation for their actions.

Kilrathi guts pilot

Kid me: D:

That opinion is only unpopular among pieces of shit.

AI isn't replacing shit, it's just another excuse for corpo scumbags to fire people for profit.

That is probably the actual answer though lol