Brigg Blog wonders whether someone in authority might clarify this...
Are mobility scooters classed as cycles or vehicles when it comes to using the town's longest footpath?
Wrawby Road contains a well-used cycle and pedestrian route linking Brigg and our neigbouring village.
But should the drivers/riders of mobility vehicles be sticking to the pedestrian lane? Or do they use the adjoining zone?
Clearly, these are not cycles. But the cycle lane is wider, in places, than the pedestrian section. So the cycle lane seems more suited to mobility scooters.
When the Wrawby Road cycle/pedestrian lanes were added a good few years ago by North Lincolnshire Council, there were far fewer mobility scooters in use than there are today.
We were recently making our way along Wrawby Road, near the entrance to the Recreation Ground, sticking to the pedestrian part of the path, when we were passed by someone in a mobility scooter.
We didn't hear his approach, which also makes us wonder whether there's a legal requirement to have an audible warning fitted to such vehicles, in the same way that cycles are supposed to have a bell in working order.
Strangely enough, Nige, there are two categories of mobility scooter...those which have a maximum speed of ?4mph are classified as pavement scooters, while those with a max speed of 6mph + are road scooters and before use they have to be registered with the DVLA...and these have to have lights and horn.But how many users realise the difference and that there is a legal obligation to register the faster scooter.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to electric cars, electric motors are fairly quiet and if a scooter approaches from the rear, it could take someone by surprise..perhaps they need some continuous audible signal to alert the unwary that an electric scooter is about.....
My personal concern is that SOME folks are just too lazy and use an electric scooter as a matter of convenience.
I appreciate that there is enormous pressure on the NHS, but perhaps there should be some medical recommendation b4 someone is allowed to purchase/use a scooter....getting the lazy, unfit minority of scooter users to walk should have beneficial results.....
Written by No-one of Authority...
Ps I have a pavement electric scooter for sale....true!!
ReplyDeletepersonally I think both types should carry insurance by law.
ReplyDeleteReturning to Nige's original question....i.e. should electric scooters use the pedestrian or cycle route......the legal DVLA answer is the scooters have to use a pedestrian lane at no more than 4mph......so if someone is walking briskly (say 4mph) and is overtaken by an e/s, then the driver is speeding!! It's all relative.....
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