My perspective as a bicycle rider (100% human powered) and as a pedestrian is that at times I feel I am being chased off of sidewalks and paths; facilities that were originally intended for human beings powering their own bodies through space, either using just their feet, using a bicycle, wheelchair, or pushing a scooter or a skateboard.
If people showed up on City and County trails on micromobility devices powered by gasoline or diesel powered engines going {putt,putt,putt,putt} I don't think there would be any question that these would be out of place and illegally used on sidewalks and paths.
But because they are new tech (actually they are very old tech... electric vehicles pre-date gasoline vehicles), they get a kind of psychological cover, a "newness bullsh*t Tesla-fication screen":
Here are some false arguments you always hear around micromobility:
"Micromobility is the way of the future - GenZ future voters love e-mobility, so you Mr. or Ms. Politician should embrace it - it's ecological - it can do no harm"
It's probably true that micromobility is more ecological than cars... but they are causing a rash of deadly fires all across the world.
In 2023, 18 people died in New York City alone due to e-mobility caused battery charging fires
September 2025: A fire ripped through H-Town Scooters, a family-owned scooter rental shop in Houston. The fire was reportedly sparked by a charging cable connected to scooter batteries, destroying nearly all of the inventory (estimated at $70,000 in damages) and a disabled daughter's custom wheelchair.
Data from the International Fire Chiefs Association in 2023 noted that the Houston Fire Department (HFD) experienced more than 60 fires involving rechargeable lithium-ion batteries during 2023. These fires included incidents involving hoverboards, scooters, and motor vehicles.
"Gen-Z voters and future voters love micromobility": does that mean it is expedient and moral to throw non-voting children as well as older generations under the bus, for the sake of votes from one segment of society? Also, micromobility, although less expensive than cars, still isn't affordable to the least affluent people in society. How does it serve them to have micromobility users crowd out human-powered users on sidewalks and paths?
The oldest Gen-Z is 28 years old. Exactly why does someone in the prime of youth (yes, 28 is young) need electrical assist? Isn't that a recipe for future weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and future Harris Health budget expenditure? Shouldn't we be encouraging everyone to move their bodies, not press a button?
"Micromobility can do no harm": when bicycle riders and pedestrians express concern about micromobility, they are always put-down with retorts like, "It's better for you to be hit by an e-bike instead of an SUV". That's a false choice... how about neither? I don't want to be hit by either type of motorized vehicle! The larger "e-motorcycles" which basically have fake, unusable pedals just to provide legal cover and a psychological smokescreen, weigh more than 100 pounds! Again... in a previous generation, they would have had a gas engine, but motorcycles have been "Tesla-fied", so they get a "pass" from society.
The basic idea is that sidewalks and bike paths have always been a refuge for human beings who are not safe on Houston's streets. I am privileged in that I am an experienced bicycle user, formerly a League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor, and I know how to ride safely on roads and highways and have been doing so in Houston since 1985. Most bicyclists and pedestrians do not feel that way, and need a refuge. They risk being chased off of the very infrastructure that was created especially for them, by a new class of motor vehicle: micromobility.
I don't have an answer for how to accomodate micromobility users. But whatever happens, it can't be on the backs of bicyclists and pedestrians. That is unacceptable.
