We were visiting GMU with our son a couple of years ago (prospective visit; he didn’t go). They had these on campus; one got stuck underneath a box truck – not physically stuck, I mean it navigated underneath the truck and then, once there, couldn’t figure out how to get away (without touching the truck, i guess).
We’ve also seen them going up & down the sidewalk of S. Lamar, during one of our visits to Austin.
I don’t guess we’d see them in the neighborhood adjoining UMD (near where we live; also where our son ended up going to school); for one thing they don’t seem to know how to behave with (for example) electric scooters there, what with leaving them strewn across the sidewalk… (waves cane at sky)
The scooters, too, seem to have tamper-detection technology. I know when I’ve lost my temper after having to step across yet another one lying across the sidewalk, they emit an alarm & flash a strobe when I’ve tried & hoisted them out of the way*
*they are also effin’ heavy
This was in my neck of the woods on I-75 in Hazel Park/Detroit.
It’s an Amazon driver but I still haven’t seen an exolanation.
Interesting to note that Joe Shoen —CEO, president, and chairman of U-Haul—is a billionaire.
I do the same thing and you’re correct, they are deceptively heavy. I don’t care if they take a photo. If they are blocking pedestrian access to a sidewalk, I will shove them out of the way every time to help people who use wheelchairs. Fortunately, they’ve become rather passé in our city and I rarely see them these days.