Push Scooters are a new form of transportation
Wheel Life column - July 22, 2000
by Todd Litman and Suzanne Kort - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

There were no kiwi fruits in our childhood. Nor mangos or Bosc pears. Every so often a new variety of fruit shows up at the grocery stores, adding more flavours to our pallet. As a result, our lives are richer.

Similarly, every few years a new mode of transportation takes its role in the traffic mix. Consider the increasing number of electric wheelchairs traveling our sidewalks, and the growing popularity of what traffic engineers call "small-wheeled transport," which includes skates and skateboards.

Our community has one of the most diverse transportation systems in North America. Where else do you see such a mixture of buses (conventional and double-decker), horse-drawn wagons, Kabuki cabs, mounted police, bicycles, scooters, skates, skateboards, taxis, vanpools, cars, trucks, pedestrians and pets. You may not use all of these modes now, but you benefit from having them as options that you or your family members may rely on in the future.

The latest addition to the mix is the collapsible push scooter, such as the Razor. It is an exercise in minimalism: two oversized skate wheels connected by an aluminum platform with a foldable handle. The back wheel has a kickplate brake.

They are sturdy and easy to use. They travel about twice typical pedestrian speeds, and even more going downhill. They increase pedestrian's mobility, allowing you to go faster and farther to run errands, and extend the range that bus riders can travel to and from bus stops. Folded, they fit conveniently in a backpack or closet.

They are also great fun. Kids love them, and the kid buried in most adults loves them too. You can scoot, you can stop, you can jump off curbs, you can slalom around obstacles, and you can race against other scooters, joggers, and cars stuck in traffic.

These scooters are sold through bikeshops, although they are currently so popular that shops have trouble keeping them in stock. Prices range from about $120 to $220. The higher priced models are larger and have suspension, making them more suitable for adults.

Is all this transportation diversity a problem? It certainly creates the potential for conflicts as an increasing variety of travel modes with different needs and abilities share our roads and sidewalks. But it also provides benefits. It means that consumers have more choices and can select the travel option that best meets their needs.

Some people's first reaction is to oppose any new travel option. They consider scooters a threat to pedestrians, and since pedestrians were using the sidewalks first, they think scooters should be banned, as are skateboards.

Skateboards are illegal to use on sidewalks in downtown Victoria, but police don't consider these scooters to be skateboards, so unless the city bylaw is changed, you are unlikely to be hauled into jail for scooting past City Hall.

We think it is best to embrace and encourage any new mode that offers low-cost, pollution-free transportation, and to find ways to make it as safe and useful as possible. So rather than banning scooters, we suggest that people using scooters, skates and bikes observe the following rules when riding on paths or sidewalks.

• Keep speeds low when approaching other trail users.
• Yield to pedestrians, pets and anybody with special needs.
• Be cautious when crossing intersections and driveways.

It is equally important to improve pedestrian facilities by making sidewalks and paths wide enough to accommodate increasing traffic volumes, and streets that are easy and safe to cross regardless of whether you are walking, scooting or riding a wheelchair.

These measures will allow everybody to safely share our facilities and enjoy a diverse transportation system.