Pedestrians have a new menace: the battery operated scooter.
Recently, a scooter rider scared me half to death. This was around a blind corner on the footway at Haulfryn, when an unseen youth unexpectedly zipped around the corner towards me, narrowly missing me. I am surprised I didn't need a defibrillator.
There was another incident yesterday in town. On Well Street, two people were crossing Wynnstay Road by Chatwin's towards Corwen Carpets. They looked left, in the direction of the one-way traffic (there was none). But from their right, two youth on one scooter rounded the curve from Well Street into Wynnstay Road and they had to take evasive action as they had not planned for a pedestrian crossing the road. They nearly wiped out the pedestrians. What speed were they going? I'd say about 15 mph or more, as they were descending Well Street and taking the curve into Wynnstay Road without breaking. It was a close thing that there was no collision.
Under the guise of active travel, it seems the UK government is trying to accommodate e-scooters. (How are they promoting *active* travel, I ask.) But they are nothing but a hazard for pedestrians:
- You can't hear them.
- They can reach scary speeds.
- Their smaller wheels and tight handlebars make them less manoeuvrable than bicycles.
I can testify to all this from my recent experiences.
We can no doubt expect more of this uncomfortable co-existence. But they're still illegal in public spaces except in trial areas where you can rent them (not Rhuthun!) and even then you need a Q-category driving licence and insurance.
Tags:
Traffic