[pandesmos]

Maybe, and maybe that's part of why it's bothering me. I don't have a frame in which to easily sit it.

I think that's a good analogy, but it's not quite right imo. The important factor for me is that, in this specific case the distributor (or whoever is putting them out) is placing them directly in front of a school.

Potential consumers of the service are socially expected to do work to maintain something they didn't put there or ask for and it's being purposefully placed in more naturally risky location. Or they're being placed in a way that's not very nice to others (blocking sidewalks or bike racks).

In the ball game scenario the consumer has chosen to get popcorn, made a mess (either purposefully or accidentally) and then chosen to leave it for others to take care of. So the consumer is being personally irresponsible.

My interpretation is that the scooter companies are being personally irresponsible, but then sort of making it look/feel like the potential consumers are being irresponsible?

You put your backpack in the main walkway of the airport. I tripped over it. Things spilled out of the backpack. Should I feel bad and try and pick up those things? Does that answer change if I see you doing the same thing every single Wednesday when I fly out?

[scarejunba]

If someone parks their car across two spaces and I hit it, should I feel bad? What if someone does it every day in the apartment parking lot?

By the way, would you mind photographing the situation here? I think I might change my mind based on how much space these things are taking. My experience in SF is that people go out of their way to have them be in their way. But I may be judging you unfairly to be doing the same.

If there's lots of room, I feel the same about the scooter as I do about the hot dog man.