A scooter has about the same functionality as an e-bike but can go on sidewalks without seeming nearly as threatening. Use in bike lanes, go 4 times as fast as walking, no sweating like a bicycle, and more portable and much cheaper than an e-bike. If my commute is a mile from a train station on both ends, that is 40 minutes of walking a day. Probably good for your health, but cutting that down to 10 minutes by using a scooter could make trains much more useful for many people. Make it 2 miles on each end, then a bicycle is really needed. Bulky and not allowed on many subways. e-scooter could work just as well.
A person on a scooter is barely bigger than just a person. They stand maybe 4 inches higher. They are like like a person running. A bit annoying and going too fast, but not that big a deal. A bike going the same speed is a much bigger object.
You've clearly never seen a scooter clip a person's ankle and break it. I have. The point of contact is not torso to torso, it's metal to ankle.
It's common here for scooter retrievers to stack multiple scooters crosswise on the driven scooter's floorboard when carrying back for charging or deployment, making it a 3+ foot wide wrecking platform.
Plus they are pretty fun to ride.