What happens when a mobility scooter, a bike and and an e-scooter go neck-and-neck?
Saturday, 17 November 2018
The Transport Ministry is reviewing regulations on the use of mobility scooters, through fears they can be driven too fast. On a sunny Friday afternoon at Auckland's Waikaraka Park, Stuff journalist Jackson Thomas, Sunday Star-Times' Jacques Steenkamp and speedway stalwart Robert Bruce-Irvine put that to the test.
The rules of the great race were simple: 100-metre course, first past the post wins, ending with a dramatic collision with a crash-test-dummy.
The vehicles of choice were an Onzo bike, a Lime electric scooter and an Invacare Lynx mobility scooter.
As all three approached the start line, a light breeze swept across the barren course and kicked up a small cloud of dust near the finish line – adding to the near perfect driving conditions.
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Grips tightened as the countdown began, a quick glance across to the racer next door, and we were off.
The whole thing was all-but over in a matter of seconds as the muscle powered Onzo cruised to the finish line first and collided with its crash-test-dummy.
Second was the hot favourite Lime scooter.
Assisted initially by a few heavy-footed pushes from Steenkamp, the electric-powered two-wheeler reached just over 20kph at times throughout the race, and crossed the line in a tick over 20 seconds.
It was fast enough to knock the mannequin to the ground, but not quite as spectacular as the bicycle.
As the sun began to set Bruce-Irvine, 66, and his mobility scooter eventually crawled across the line in 48 seconds and gave the dummy somewhat of a love tap – not enough to bring the top-heavy plastic poser to the ground.
'I'll tell you what, you'd have to have a decent slope, or something, to get any real speed on one of those,' Bruce-Irvine said, in the post-race press conference.
'I think people definitely need to be aware of pedestrians, and take care on footpaths, but other than a few bruised shins I don't know how much damage you could really do on one of these mobility ones.'
On the other hand the Lime scooter, reportedly clocked by some Auckland users at speeds in excess of 35kph, should be handled with extreme care, he said.
'I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that thing let me tell ya.'