BreconBeBuggered
Is there anyone on this thread who can say how easy mobility scooters actually are to manouevre? Simplicity of operation doesn't necessarily imply great flexibility in the face of obstacles, living or inanimate. Frankly I dread relying on one for my personal independence in the future.
We are straying into a piece of string territory here. Some of the fold up 3 wheel ones can be quite nimble. As a rule the 4-wheel ones don't have a great turning circle.
A lot of ignorance here, sadly.
As with anything intended for the less able, scooter prices are exorbitant.
My wife uses one, and I have been around them and their users for years, and have never once seen any incident as described upthread. Certainly my wife is considerate and careful. Unlike the selfish cars which block the dropped kerbs which are a lifeline to wheelchair/scooter/pushchairs. Or the cars who park on the pavement, blocking the way, and either requiring a 400 metre (i.e. quarter mile) detour. Or in one case simply requiring you don't go out, since there was no accessible detour.
All the shopmobility (a lifeline) schemes we have used over the years have required a proficiency test before they will give you membership. It may be perfunctory, but it's better than nothing, and should weed out the truly incapable. If anyone here sees an incident involving a shopmobility scooter (they are pretty distinct usually) then before posting on Mumsnet, let the staff know, so they can re-test, or check.
Personally we'd have no problem with a system of basic competence assessment and compulsory insurance. However, it would raise the question about cycles.
I was amused to see some back of the fag packet meaningless science trying to make a point about energy transfer. Of course without reference to the surface areas involved you can't really say anything. Except to note that a cyclist weighing 70Kg doing 25 km/h , is going to pack an awful lot of punch which will (and has killed).
On a final note, it seems that "shared space" is the new centuries equivalent of tower blocks in the 60s. So expect to see a lot more places where cars, pedestrians, cyclists and skateboarders (who appear to have got off lightly in this thread so far) appearing. As a starter for ten, I give you the new Longbridge retail park in Brum, which has shared space. Car drivers note, in a shared space nobody has right of way.
For some reason I can't fathom, this has become a very emotive subject. 500+ posts about mobility scooters ! Piss off. Clearly mobility scooters are being used as a proxy for much deeper - and darker - feelings. I've been online for longer than I care to imagine, and have noticed that in any online gathering large enough, something never quite squares with life as experienced.
I met my wife 20 years ago, as a pen pal. She immediately told me she used a wheelchair, and it dawned on me then that I rarely saw people in wheelchairs. Maybe once, twice a year. Why was that ? It was because, as other posters here have pointed out, we had a nasty tendency to lock the freakishly disabled out of sight. Don't deny it, as a society, we did. We took an almost perverse pleasure in ensuring modern life was as difficult for those less able, as it could be. How many disabled toilets did you see 25 years ago ? For me the sight of wheelchairs, scooters, buggies around is a sign that we have progressed. But how much of a cosmetic progression that is remains to be seen.