Charged to commute: experimenting with electric scooters
OPINION: This article reflects the author's opinion, not tied to the publication
I recently bought an electric scooter because I am curious about trying other types of transportation to get around town. I am looking at staying mostly within a 1-mile radius of my home in College Grove. Desired destinations are the fairgrounds, the Cosmosphere, the downtown core and up and down Main St., mainly restaurants where I can meet my friends for lunch.
Cities such as Wichita and Kansas City have rentable scooters for commuters. My son tried the scooters in Wichita while I was at a conference. He downloaded an app, added his payment method, grabbed an assigned scooter, and spent several hours riding up and down the Riverwalk. He enjoyed the experience and thought it was a fun way to travel between sights.
I chose a GoTrax Rival because it received good reviews as a low-cost entry scooter and was $100 off at Walmart. $200 was not too much for an experiment, so I ordered one delivered to my door the next day.
Electric scooters resemble skateboards with attached handlebars, just like their push-powered cousins. This model has a 12-mile range on a charge and can reach a maximum speed of 15 mph. It also folds up and is easy to push on one wheel, and its 24.5-lb. frame fits easily into my vehicle’s trunk.
I tried it out for the first time on the fairgrounds, taking advantage of wide spaces to learn to turn and brake without launching myself over the handlebars. The smooth roads helped me concentrate on operating the device without worrying about dodging holes. I bought a helmet and wrist guards and plan to buy elbow and knee guards soon.
I tried the scooter again on Saturday, taking advantage of the cooler temperatures and no rain. This time, I rode around College Grove. I quickly discovered that the neighborhood’s sidewalks are unsuitable for small-wheeled conveyance because they are very uneven due to the proliferation of tree roots. Some of the streets are challenging, too, due to debris from recent storms. I didn’t encounter much traffic until I tried Poplar St., but the uneven sidewalks discouraged traveling along that route. The curbs are steep and deep, and I don’t understand how people who use mobility scooters and wheelchairs can safely travel south along Poplar St. from 17th to 11th.
Taking more time through the neighborhood gave me a better appreciation of the area because I saw things I would have missed while driving in a car. It wasn’t as nice as walking, though, due to constantly having to stop and go around dangerous uneven sidewalk slabs and a missing section overgrown with weeds.
Electric stand-up scooters are not very safe, in my opinion, mostly because I am at an age where I no longer bounce and shake off accidents. I plan to continue experimenting through the summer, which will give me enough time to save up for a decent mid-range electric bicycle.
Feeling the breeze and enjoying the outdoors is a nice perk, but it can be accomplished with a simple walk. For those who wish to range further, especially to our downtown area, we need a safe, smooth bicycle and scooter lane from at least the fairgrounds to Avenue A on the east side of Main St. Fortunately, the city’s Downtown Development Master Plan includes a Walnut St.-based corridor for non-automobile traveling, one based on the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.