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People keep saying this but what these rules are is completely irrelevant to the discussion of whether it was good form to take the bike anyway. I know it was available to everyone when they docked it, but that has no bearing on questions of manners.
The whole point of limiting free rides to 45 minutes and increasing the fee on paid rides over time and requiring a user to wait between rides is to allow other people to use a shared bike whether they are free users or paid. It's not right to claim a shared resource over that period just because you had it previously.
Their ride was over, unless they were willing to pay to extend it. They were welcome to end their ride, or start paying, but not to return their bike and claim that they were still using it because they wished to do so later.
Two things here. Firstly, I am told by New Yorkers that this is common practice, in which case it seems hard to place much blame on the kids in that regard, if it's a widely accepted norm. Secondly, even if they are wrong in that regard, it doesn't exonerate the woman. Her actions were still petty even if one shouldn't try to 'reserve' bikes in that way.
...among the antisocial portion of the community.
I suppose blame the mayor and the rest of the libs who are supporting the antisocial teen group as well?
Getting home on time and in a inexpensive manner that you are legally entitled to is petty?
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First, the only person who I've seen that claims it's common is one of the people in the story's sister who seems like a motivated agent. From the NewsOne article op linked:
Perhaps it's common but so is turnstyle hopping, and ubiquitousness doesn't make it moral.
A lady rented a bike and then wanted to use the bike she rented. She had every right to be as petty as she wished when someone wanting to use the bike in the future but unwilling to make a claim at the same time or prior to her tried to prevent her from using the bike she rented.
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