To the Editor,
Re: Scooters an accident-in-waiting, Letters, Oct. 9.
I use a mobility scooter and totally agree with the sender of this letter.
There are far too many individuals out there using scooters as their source of transportation and unfortunately, do not know how to use them on the roads.
I have seen them downtown on Nicol Street and Terminal Avenue riding in the road, seemingly unaware of the traffic around them. They seem to forget that scooters are not motor vehicles and therefore, should not be on the road. There are plenty of sidewalks or other pathways.
There are places in town where there is little or no access for scooters, and not all the sidewalks are ramped for scooters or wheelchairs.
So, the city has some work to do to make getting around Nanaimo a little easier for the disabled. However, that does not excuse those scooter riders who seem to think it is their right to ride on the road.
There are trailways such as the E&N Trail and the Parkway Trail to ride on and still get around the city.
So, please, stay off the roads for your safety and that of others.
Maybe it’s about time for some level of government to take notice of what is going on and come up with some way of monitoring this problem.
Some sort of licensing program or standards tests as any other driver. I have been riding scooters for more than seven years and for the first time, I had to have an occupational therapist assess me before I could get a new scooter.
This is not the worst idea I’ve seen.
Fred Carson
Nanaimo
