These things simply erupted from nowhere,
and it was clear the entrepreneurs who
brought them in realised they effectively did
not have to get any sort of permission. They
just set them up, sold them or hired them.
Not a shred of legislation, despite the fact
some of the higher grade varieties can whine
their way up to 30km/h.
Which is about the same speed you
experience on the glugged up motorways
during rush hour.
While that’s a snail’s pace for a car or a
motorcycle it is more than modest for a puny
and vulnerable little scooter. A scooter the
same size of one which is propelled by legs…
which in my mind is what a scooter should be.
Because you can see and hear them coming.
A silent little toy charging along at the sort
of speed some step-throughs roll along at is
slightly unsettling. Even more so given the
pilots don’t have to wear a safety helmet and
because there are no rules in place about
their use they can be ridden on footpaths.
Which I have seen… and I have seen two
close calls where one scooter pilot exited
an alleyway into the path of two wandering
shoppers and came close to cleaning both of
them up.
There have been injuries and there have
been fatalities from these things when they
crash. And anything that comes to a pretty
quick stop from 25km/h or so is going to
result in more than the skinned arse I got
from the miniature race bike, which, I should
add, I rode with a helmet affixed.
The most unsettling thing I’ve seen, though,
was one charging along on the edge of the
road, basically on the tarseal strip designed
and built for registered motor vehicles. These
things basically slipped through the net,
and anyone using one is not doing anything
wrong because there are no rules.
Which is a tad scary.
Sooner or later a scooter company will roll
out one with a little electric turbocharger.
And being a grumpy old sod I take the stance
that if someone who is otherwise fit and able
wants to get from A to B then try walking.