Wednesday, August 01, 2007

[hell's grannies] rise of the machines

This blogger on his mobility scooter in the Arndale Centre mall, twenty years from now, Welshcakes riding pillion ...

Well, of all the …

Liberal Democrat MP Bob Russell said motorised wheelchairs used by pensioners and disabled people need to be governed by more safety regulations.

In 2004, seven motorised wheelchair users died in crashes and 402 were involved "adverse" incidents. One woman reportedly died when she reversed her wheelchair off a pier into the sea.

Allen Jones, chairman of the Wheelchair Users' Group, said: "Just as there are good and bad cyclists, there are good and bad users of powered wheelchairs."

Ray Hodgkinson, director general of the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA), warned that "the decision to treat the vehicles as 'go-karts' could bankrupt some companies".

He added that HM Revenue and Customs' move "was apparently inspired by fears that they were also being used as golf buggies even though they were unsuitable for that use. "

And the public thinks:

Only yesterday an elderly gentleman crossed at a pedestrian crossing in one of these, whilst the lights were on green for the traffic, very nearly causing an accident. [Zoe Dunne, Bournemouth, Dorset]

Many a time I have seen idiots using these on roads, causing danger to themselves and other road users. Just because the users are often old or disabled does not give them the right to the pavement over pedestrians.
[Xander Nicholls, Bournemouth, Dorset]

I witnessed one lady pensioner once nearly take out about four pedestrians at a pedestrian crossing because she had absolutely no control over the buggy she was driving. She was either stopped or at full speed, there seemed to be no in between! [Johanna, Cardiff]

These Hell's Grannies and Hell's Grandpas are a menace. They dawdle along the middle of a road, causing traffic congestion and frustrated car drivers. [Russell, Manchester]

Well! To all these wet blankets, I give notice right now that 20 years from now, I'll be on my F1 liveried, turbo-charged easy-rider with spoilers and extractors and I plan to hit 30mph, Jack, in the mall! And on my 200 megawatt quadro surround blaster, Nazareth will screech:

Well I know you're thinkin'

That the odds is on your side

But the first thing you gotta learn is

That it just don't come down to size

I can see the seeds of doubt

Begin to grow on your face

If you wanna back down now

You know that's no disgrace

Gonna go down fightin'

Gonna go down fightin'

Yo!

Grow old gracefully? That's for the birds!


Love the pedestrian hits notched into her flared wheel arch.

5 comments:

  1. Good for you and I'll be right behind you - literally! You're very poetic today, Sir.

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  2. I don't want to grow old gracefully either, I want to be the terror of the neighbourhood on my machine too, but with notches for near misses, not collisions.

    The only friend I have with one of these things gave up driving after she drove her car into a tree and we were so grateful she didn't hurt anyone else. I hope she doesn't wipe out anyone with her new toy which cost almost as much as a new car, let me tell you.

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  3. Great - let's the three of us form the Scooter Terror Of Rascally Middle-agers.

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  4. Yeah i have one given to me by the hospital, was nice of them, but no-one has any idea how or where to have them serviced and as they do have a mind of their own with speed, no-one know how to fix them, and i do give way to pedestrians as they was here first, but understand we arent to ride on grass as for bindies puntcher our tyers and for riding on roads, yes i do but only after i ask the cops if ok, and he said as long as i give way to cars at all times and i stay close to curb as to ride on paths are so much worse on the pain from which put me in scooter in the first place, and i have no other way or person to get me around and taxi's are way to much for my pocket.

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  5. It's probably unfair to the mobility scooter rider and when we meet them on the footpath, we're annoyed but would we really want to consign the elderly or disabled to the road?

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