Cyclechat investigates - mobility scooters

[screenman]

I travel the country quite a bit and if you lived in some places it would be easy to think obesity is not much of a problem, whilst in others the problem could shock you.

 

[Blue Hills]

Yes, from my wanderings I have the idea that tho still serious it is less of an issue in much of london.

 

[oldwheels]

I visited Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow for a while and initially about 6 or 7 years ago there seemed to be a large number of obese people including one whole family of 2 adults and 3 children all the same enormous size.Latterly this seems less evident and my recent visits to Oban and RAH in Paisley there were none visible. Improvement or I just was not there at the right time?

 

[MontyVeda]

Back in my internet marketing days, we had a local client who was notorious for high pressure sales of mobility scooters. The amount of emails we saw from furious family members after their ageing parents had been sold a scooter they neither wanted nor needed was really very worrying... this guy was a shark with form. A real nasty piece of work. I hated him with a passion.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

My only experience with mobility scooters is selling one after my MIL passed away.

Advice: if you're buying, get a second hand one. They're almost worthless, lost about 80% of value, used all of twice. Was bought by a guy who buys them up here and ships to Poland, no demand here apparently.

 

[randynewmanscat]

Morrisons in Eccles some years ago. A wagon train circle of three large heavy duty scooters piloted by three from the same family I think, mutha, fatha, son parked just inside the entrance so that the shoppers had to walk around them to get inside. They where holding a conversation facing each other. All three had leather holsters for life essentials, cigs and lighters, stick. Combined weight of pilots, best guess, 500kg.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

View: https://twitter.com/TwatBibIe/status/1172943971087204353

 

[BoldonLad]

Anybody ever think that a lot of these "morbidly obese people on scooters" are that way because of conditions that inhibit their mobility? farked hips mean you can't move around so you don't exercise so you put on weight and you get depressed so you eat more and the extra weight exacerbates your pain etc etc?

A lot of those people you see on mobility scooters today used to be called housebound and were invisible.

Somebody mentioned you hardly see them in France. Makes me think there's a lot of sad, lonely people confined to their homes in France.

Fair point, and, of course, impossible to say, from a cursory glance.

But, it may also be a case of "chicken and egg", ie damaged hips / knees MAY be the result of excess weight.

Not saying it is, just saying MAYBE.

 

[sheddy]

24mph - help !

CES 2020: Segway’s prototype wheelchair crashes at tech show https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51058419

 

[DCBassman]

As with every other form of mobility, disabled or not, it's the driver that sets the stage. My car, parked at home along with others in the development, had its front bumper trashed by a guy on a scooter.
The guy in question is a cerebral palsy sufferer, so needs the mobility, no question. But he's also a drunk stoner, hence the crash.
So far, so unremarkable. But when reporting the accident to the police, they refused to become involved with prosecuting a disabled person, purely because he was disabled and it wouldn't look good.
So I'm a little jaundiced about the damed things...

 

[MontyVeda]

My only experience with mobility scooters is selling one after my MIL passed away.

Advice: if you're buying, get a second hand one. They're almost worthless, lost about 80% of value, used all of twice. Was bought by a guy who buys them up here and ships to Poland, no demand here apparently.

Not if my Mum's selling it they aren't. My dad got one early last year, an ex-demo model for £1200, used it twice but old age and illness meant he couldn't get it in and out of the car. Mum sold it for £1200

 

[roley poley]

The gluttony is very much in evidence around here. Over the festive period i've seen plenty of disgusting vomit droppings on the pavements. When you see these things most appear to be vomited food,rather than spewed up beer. I saw one the other day outside a pub. It must've been the biggest spew pile i'd ever seen! I bet it measured around 2 feet in diameter. My thoughts were 'that person has probably vomited up more food than i have in a week'! Stuffing crap down one's throat now seems to be the norm.

it seems to be the way your brought up

 

[Archie_tect]

Do they need improvement, what needs to be done ?

better handling, all terrain capability, built in sat-nav, drive me home from the pub, bum warmer or just some sexy go faster stripes ?

I’d be happy with a hover option (to negotiate steps) but fear it won’t be available in my lifetime.

What does the team think ?

You are Davros, this is the Dalek thread...

 

[Jody]

I was in a local shopping center yesterday and saw a mobility scooter for £10,000 To be fair it did have flashy LED headlights and alloy wheels but £10K for an electric buggy

 

[MontyVeda]

I was in a local shopping center yesterday and saw a mobility scooter for £10,000 To be fair it did have flashy LED headlights and alloy wheels but £10K for an electric buggy

I think that same seeing the price tag on some bikes