Am I being unreasonable to suggest that scooters should be banned on pavements?

[Morgause]

An hour ago I went up the lane to pay the papers. The pavement isn't particularly wide but not very narrow either. A little girl aged 3 -4 scooted past me quite quickly which made me jump a bit as I hadn't heard her coming. I looked round to see her mother with a buggy quite a way back down the lane. She shouted the little girl's name and told her to wait.

I walked past her and into the shop round the corner and paid the bill. As I came back around the corner the mother had caught up with the little girl and she had begun to scoot on again. Unfortunately she scooted straight into an elderly lady just leaving her gate and they both went flying. I called an ambulance and other neighbours came out to see what could be done to help. It looks like the little girl has broken her arm and the old lady may have broken her hip or her leg - maybe both.

The ambulance man said that scooters are a "bloody nuisance" and if kids aren't falling off them they are ploughing into people on them. He thinks they should be banned anywhere but gardens and parks. The local bobby, also present, agreed.

I think the same after what I saw today. M (the old lady) is the sole carer for her elderly husband who is very disabled following a stroke. Goodness knows what will happen to him now. A neighbour is with him for now and is hoping to contact someone from social services for some emergency care.

I hate them too, have started to notice sporty young adults on adult scooters alongside, not to mention younger kids trailing behind the convoys on balance bikes. We live in an area with a high concentration of primaries so people trying to travel in both directions on fairly narrow, bumpy paths. Slows everybody down except selfish, well-wheeled families.

Unfortunately, it is the parents whom I consider to be MN-ty who are the original offenders (includes all the kids of parent governors for a start) so nothing gets done.

Having said all that its the child not the scooter and there are some very considerate children around (apparently)

But it involves extra politeness like thanking them profusely for not ramming it into your foot like the kid in front. Do they really deserve that? Is it priority at 8.45am?

I think that most of the people who claim to be using them sensibly are still a pain in the butt as they can't possibly know how the pedestrians feel about having to carefully negotiate their way around PFB, PFBs DD, PFB's DS, PFB's BF etc etc whist feigning an air of indifference or having to force a smile

most accidents are accidents in the sense that no-one intended any harm they were not intended or malicious however very few are unavoidable as in what used to be termed "acts of God" also very few are deliberate carelessness negligence

but most involve a degree of not thinking about consequences or lack of control or carelessness or distraction or not looking or forgetting simple precautions

while I am not an advocate of suing people left right and centre and hate ambulance chasers and I certainly do not think this mother should be sued, she should acknowledge that she was not in control of a small child that is not able to control themselves and because of that both her DD and an older more vulnerable member of society got hurt with possibly far reaching consequences and i think heartfelt apologies would be good

YABU. What you saw today was extreme, but rare.

It's up to parents to get their kids to show consideration while scooting. I constantly have to yorp and bark at my DC to watch out, plan ahead, 'get off and fold the bloody thing up now'.

Most kids I witness are very considerate.

I will probably get mowed down by a 3 year old on my way to the shop now won't I?

I live on a cul-de-sac with a primary school at the end. You do get a lot of kids on bikes and scooters around 8.45-9 and 3.15-3.30. I do think they are more dangerous than a running child, as the momentum makes them harder to control and I have seen children on scooters slide into the road because the couldn't stop.

Due to a couple of near misses, the area where I live has now been made a 20mph zone, which I think is fair enough, but I also think it's not very sensible for young children (say 5/6/7) to be scooting or cycling down steep hills as they don't have the control/forethought necessary to deal with the corner at the bottom.

It's unlikely they will be banned tbh, but I do think parents should be liable for any damage/accidents their children cause. I know someone who lives at the end of the road who had several scratches on her car because a child lost controll of their scooter. She is quite young and saved up a lot for that car, so it seems unfair she is the one out of pocket.

Quick travel is not always the goal either if the parents are honest. Most children at our school live within a 5-10 minute WALK of the school gate. Many a time have I heard 'Mum, x is on her scooter, can I come in on mine tomorrow?' so peer pressure basically. As far the few families who live further out and come in by car, the still bring their damned scooters along for the two minute walk to the gate.

As for the parents who see the whole thing as an opportunity to practise and test road safety and/or discipline, WE DO NOT WANT TO BE INVOLVED AT 8.45AM when we are desperately trying to make the bell on foot. Nor are we impressed.

They're a menace. They've never bothered me that much because I'm usually in the car when I see a small child go at breakneck speed on a scooter on the pavement. Perhaps they should be banned on pavements. Skateboards caused much the same kind of menace but you don't see many these days thank goodness. I hardly think three year olds could be on the roads on scooters though!

I think that most of the people who claim to be using them sensibly are still a pain in the butt as they can't possibly know how the pedestrians feel about having to carefully negotiate their way around PFB, PFBs DD, PFB's DS, PFB's BF etc etc whist feigning an air of indifference or having to force a smile

I don't claim to use them sensibly I DO use them sensibly. The route DS uses his we rarely see anyone else if we do it is me and him who stop and move out of peoples way, we certainly don't expect them to negotiate around us!

even the most responsible kid is likely to cause harm....when they lift the scooter to get up/down pavement,move out of the way etc....the back part swings round and invariably doesn't stop til it hits someones ankle.....they are metal,moving with momentuml and bloody hurt!

They are liable slow but proving which child did it is the issue. If she can prove it her insurance should persue it. Unlikely she can though. Scooters are hardly the only things doing that kinds of damage - my car was damaged by a pedestrian on my last trip to the uk - an adult carrying a large object. Would cost a lot to repair so I am living with the dentas my foreign insurance won't deal with it.

Bikes are much easier to control than scooters btw I ama bit hmm that they are being discussed as interchangable.

Our schools expect children who live under 2 km away to walk unaccompanied to school and forbid children who have not passed their compulsory cycling proficiency (which is taken in year 4 and not an automatic pass by any means) from cycling (scooters are not a big thing locally and viewed as toys). Perhaps that is a viable option - as the main complaints are about volume of scooting traffic on the school run?

I think I'll just practise a loud, terrifying ROAR with claw hands and a ferocious lunge at any child that bumps into me, with an aim to scaring them so much that they will watch out for me in future, and tell their friends and relatives to avoid me.
I shall wear a distinctive hat, so as to be recognisable.
They may then scoot round me when I am old and fragile.

I want to say YABU but the repercussions for this lady and her family are huge, so I'm really sitting on the fence regarding a ban.

Those of u who manage to have control of ur scoooting kids; how do u manage it? I'm asking genuinely as I do find it hard to control 2 3/4 DS - not been scooting long but I realised a couple of weeks ago that I needed to control him better. The only thing I came up with was a wrist strap! I don't think he listens well enough to keep close but does anyone have any effective strategies?

It's awful what's happened to the old lady and I really hope she's ok.

But. Couldn't she have looked where she was going?! I'm not really sure it's the mum or girls fault, they ARE allowed and are pavement users too, so given that they are commonly seen and to be anticipated couldn't she have looked both ways upon emerging from her gate?

It's important that children learn good pavement etiquette to prevent annoying people, however I really can't see that this problem is caused by a scooter, more a lack of observation. So YABU.

And how exactly would kids get to skate ramps and parks in order to scoot if they weren't allowed to scoot on the pavements? Just walk their scooters there in case of a very minor risk of injury or nuisance?

If his hobby was cello, archery, skiing or kendo he would have to carry a large bag/case so why not with a scooter?

mezza I have a strap which I tie around the front of his mini micro scooter. I think they sell a specific one but we just improvised. Have seen people using dog leads I just either pull him going up hills, hold on going down or let him scoot on about 1m. When I see people coming I just hold him closer to me. He does scoot freely in appropriate places, but useful on school run as he goes at my pace - walking would take ages at his pace.

Short children don't show up over a 3' fence, that point was made already.
It's why reversing out of a drive or in a supermarket car park is so nerve-racking, you keep waiting for the crunch of an unseen infant, even if you are looking.

Just to say that my rant was aimed at parents living in areas of high population density not those who have limitless Pand Q on their two mile journey. Of course it is right for those children to use scooter. My only experience is of parents in London. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I live in a village. The school run (and home time) is a nightmare with all the children zooming along on their bikes and scooters.

There is no space. They should walk.

YANBU. I fucking hate scooters, and the parents who allow their children to ride them down the pavement when it's 6 o'clock and you can barely walk there are so many people, and then you get some little brat pushing through the crowds and running over people's toes.

YAdefinitelyNBU.

My house has high hedges and walls/gateposts so visibility is limited and I take special care when edging my car out to the road but with anything moving at speed on the pavement there can be a real risk. I have had a couple of close calls with cyclists (who are unfailingly abusive despite not being supposed to be on the pavement!), the same thing could easily happen with a child on a scooter. Parents assume that a child is safe scooting on a pavement where there is no visible hazard but if there are gates onto that pavement there is a risk to the child or to others.

Bloob really? Have you seen the speed at which children on scooters travel?

OP YADBNU. I can't believe the way children are allowed to move about on them and am astonished there aren't more serious injuries.