General Chat

Is it me or are mobility scooters becoming the scourge of our footpaths?

You'll probably feel differently when you're on one :-D

Are you suggesting that individuals like myself, who have mobility problems which severely affect how far they can walk, should just stay stuck indoors and never venture out - if it were not for my scooter I would be more or less housebound.

I would suggest a bigger scourge of our high streets are the pedestrians, who either have a mobile phone glued to their ear or attached to their typing finger, and as a result never watch where they are going.

OneFootInTheGrave - I am not suggesting that for one second and I applaud the fact that they provide mobility. What I am saying though is that there is a percentage of users who seem to think that they own the footpath, have no regard for car drivers when they venture into the road, and seem to be under the misconception that they have a right to travel at a speed faster than walking pace when travelling on pavements.

maggiewinchester - when I had my journalist hat on I spent a day in a wheelchair so that I could write an article highlighting the barriers that were presented to users. This included access to various premises and the attitudes of more able bodied people. As a result of my research and articles, the council local to where I was editor introduced a number of improvements for less able people.

My mission and my pre- and post-attitudes/impressions were influenced very much by the Radio 4 series Does He Take Sugar and personal reasons.

“Does he take sugar in his tea?”
Hello, why not ask me?
I might have a disability,
But to answer for myself I still have the ability.
Just ‘cos I’m not stood up like you:
Does not mean there is very little for myself that I can do…

I agree that a few mobility scooter users think they are Stirling Moss, personally I always travel at what I consider a safe speed, and I always give the right of way to pedestrians, especially to mothers with push chairs and elderly people, when crossing roads where there is a crossing I wait for the signal to cross, where there is no crossing I wait until it is safe to cross.

Two problems I see are that town patrol/pcs people are to busy at the rear of shops having coffee and some scooters are to powerful to be on the pavement, but because of the former no one challenges them.

I agree OFITG - could these vehicles not be governed to walking pace in some way?

The other day I had to "rescue" a user who came so fast around the corner (on the footpath then road and on the wrong side) actually rolled it.

They were trapped underneath but the only reason that the accident occurred was that they were travelling far too fast. It was in an area used by young children although it would be interesting to know that if they caused actual damage whether they have insurance in any shape or form.

What on earth do you mean - scourge of our footpaths?

Don't you know that footpaths are for cyclists, roads are for pedestrians, mobility scooters and any other vehicle :-D

Well after OH had a fall in the street last August and ended up in Hospital for 2 days we persuaded him to get a mobility scooter.

When we looked at them we were flummoxed at the different types there were . You could get pavement only use scooters and those that could be used on the road . Plus did you want one that would come apart to go into a car or a heavier one that you would need a hoist to get in and out of an adapted vehicle.

He opted for a pavement only one and his goes at 4mph . You can go slower by adjusting the setting on a dial but 4mph is an OK speed he finds .

Think with anything its the mood of the driver. LIke get out of the way I am coming attitude we have seen .

OH drives as he is normally ,a non aggressive man who only wants to get safely where he is going

Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs come in 2 categories, after Class 1 unpowered wheelchairs.

Class 2 invalid carriages - these can’t be used on the road (except where there isn’t a pavement) and have a maximum speed of 4mph

Class 3 invalid carriages - these can be used on or off the road, and have a maximum speed of 4mph off the road, and 8mph on the road. They have switch that limits the speed to 4mph and which must be set when travelling off the road on the pavement.

You don’t need to register a class 2 invalid carriage and they don’t need a tax disc.

Class 3 carriages need to display a ‘nil value’ tax disc and be registered with DVLA.

On the other hand, other than needing to be over 14 to drive a class 3 carriage, anyone can drive, without a licence and without any form of training whatsoever.

There are courses available, e.g. through your local Disabled Living centre or Shopmobility, but these are not compulsory. Perhaps they should be.

InspectorGreenPen I agree.

The "vehicles" themselves may have a switch for on or off road (sic) use but how many people use them?

I walk at a pretty brisk pace and yet I am still overtaken by mobility scooters so either they are not governed or the user has chosen not to "flick the switch".

Nameslessone - it is an ever-increasing problem and I wish there was meaningful legislation. Users run the risk of being the next targeted "scourge".

The 'worse' users seem to me to be the people who hire them in town, they are possibly not regular users and today there was a 'family' of them (4 of them) all travelling together and not slowly through the pedestrian part of the city. They seem to expect pedestrians, no matter how agile, to leap out of the way with a smile.

There was an elderly lady knocked over by one on the pavement in a nearby town, She was taken to hospital I think, I never saw what happened to the scooter driver but if my memory serves me correctly, he just drove off. Nice!!!!

AnninGlos - that is total arrogance!

I am sure a highish percentage of users are thoughtful but the whole point of a mobility racecar is to enable a person to function "normally" ie go to the shops, visit friends, get out and about.

That is not an excuse to go charging about with a total disregard for other people and particularly pedestrians.

The reason why mobility scooters seem imposing is because most of the time they are hampered by the lack of pavement space for them and able bodied.

they aint half heavy when one runs over your toes....... :-D

oh I know that - I had one do that deliberately the other day just because there was not enough space to move over.

Arrogance!

I think I'll hold on to my opinion for now till I see this evening's TV programme about how some elderly residents are treated in care homes.

Perhaps they might like to get out & about from time to time from such establishments - without the temerity of inconveniencing anyone.

A world of certainty & inner assurance has its advantages but tends to cultivate a superficial glow of self-satisfaction, often leading to a rush to judgment of those whose lives are more precarious & less assured.

That could be me!

I fail to see a correlation between care homes and the way some think they can drive around at break neck speed with a total disregard to pedestrians but still.

Indeed!

ERROL
WHAT ABOUT MANUAL WHEELCHAIRS WHEN IM BEING PUSHED IN ONE OF THEM ITS ME WHO'S EXPECTED TO BE PUSHED IN THE ROAD WHILE FULLY
FIT FOLK STAND IN FRONT OF ME REFUSING TO MOVE ASIDE WHICH IS NOT
ALWAYS POSSIBLE SO I END UP IN THE ROAD WHILE THEY PASS.

OH AND BY THE WAY I WONDER WHAT YOU'D BE LIKE IN A DISABILITY SCOOTER
WOULD YOU BE TEMPTED TO RIP DOWN THE PAVEMENT IF IT'S EMPTY,

well said Dizzi - for years I pushed my lovely Mum around in a wheelchair - not a nice experience for either of us

and calling AnninGlos arrogant is out of order