I am just coming from a perspective where it is actually legally not allowed (or at least not enforced but taught in school etc) that bikes are on the street if you are older than 12, for safety of pedestrians. (again, Amsterdam is a good read, especially because it is in english)
Obviously that does not work where i am, where this would be horrendously unsafe and road design is a 6 lane highway artificially brought to 50 via sign and traffic lights every 100m… Except in Suburbia without much traffic and industrial areas where there is not even a sidewalk, because “what, not in a car, inconceivable”.
My main point is, that much better traffic engineering exists, where this conflict between pedestrians and two-wheelers does not exist like that and you actually also have more pedestrians (here, there is basically only a few, so they get away with shared sidewalk). Well, at some point the ice sheets on the sidewalk will be gone and good to ride again. Looking forward to it, it is uplifting to zip around.
But getting back to mental health and freedom: e-scooters are better for last mile, folding and can connect to public transit better, if that even exists. Especially when modal split is is 80-99% car, it can tremendously help to have some other non-sweaty transport. Quick, fun and i realised my Gotrax XR is basically the minimum i can get away with, less range or speed would not be good/fun.
