Scooters again

[PinzaC55]

There's an additional point that if you were to accept the "principle" that trains should carry "scooters" (or mini 4 X 4's as I think of them) how many would you carry? And if it was , say, a crammed 2 car car unit Leeds to Harrogate in the rush hour and the person with the "scooter" got there before the punters, which one would give way?
In a situation where you had to evacuate a train because of fire how would you deal with it and the obstruction it would cause?

 

[Solent&Wessex]

In most cases the weight isn't so much the issue - you could always get a stronger ramp. It is the size of the scooters which is the problem. On an open platform or street they might not look too bad, but on a train they are huge. The size of the object is too big for the wheelchair areas on most rolling stock, and this is before you consider the large turning circle of the scooter. The TOC I work for did tests, and published the pictures internally, and in many cases the scooters just got stuck and jammed in the doors / aisles as their size and turning circle meant they couldn't actually manouvre once on board.

 

[moonrakerz]

It will be controversial, to say this, but some disabled people are their own worst enemies sometimes.

It really is refreshing to hear a disabled person say that ! Had a fully mobile person dared to say that they would have vilified and accused of some sort of "...ism" and run out of town !

My daughter has to use a scooter. Her attitude is that she knows that she can be a bit of a "nuisance" at times to others but that most able people do show consideration for her. More importantly, she knows that there are some things that she cannot do - such as driving her scooter to the top of Ben Nevis or getting a train from Kent to Wiltshire.
She doesn't start a vocal campaign for a disabled ramp to be built from Ft William to Ben Nevis (saying that she is being discriminated against) and she realises that her scooter on a train would at least be an inconvenience - possibly a hazard to others (and herself).

She is realistic - she doesn't try the Ben Nevis route and she drives halfway to Wiltshire where we meet up (having got the train myself) and I drive the rest of the way.

As you rightly say Stephen: "some disabled people.................

 

[pemma]

There's an additional point that if you were to accept the "principle" that trains should carry "scooters" (or mini 4 X 4's as I think of them) how many would you carry?

I'd personally say mini scooters for blue badge holders only, then there are treated like wheelchairs and allowed on subject to there being space on the train. If 12 wheelchair users turned up and the next train was a 142, they wouldn't all be able to board even if the train wasn't busy.

 

[HSTEd]

Could start fitting GUVs to the trains and stick them in there.

 

[Michael.Y]

Could start fitting GUVs to the trains and stick them in there.

Or we could mandate that all scooters must now have a wheelbase of 4ft 8.5in and a BSI coupler on the front.

 

[Stephen55a1960]

It really is refreshing to hear a disabled person say that ! Had a fully mobile person dared to say that they would have vilified and accused of some sort of "...ism" and run out of town !

My daughter has to use a scooter. Her attitude is that she knows that she can be a bit of a "nuisance" at times to others but that most able people do show consideration for her. More importantly, she knows that there are some things that she cannot do - such as driving her scooter to the top of Ben Nevis or getting a train from Kent to Wiltshire.
She doesn't start a vocal campaign for a disabled ramp to be built from Ft William to Ben Nevis (saying that she is being discriminated against) and she realises that her scooter on a train would at least be an inconvenience - possibly a hazard to others (and herself).

She is realistic - she doesn't try the Ben Nevis route and she drives halfway to Wiltshire where we meet up (having got the train myself) and I drive the rest of the way.

As you rightly say Stephen: "some disabled people.................

Thanks for that. It's encouraging to be supported too!

 

[bluenoxid]

Ivo, jcollins' link is perhaps a perfect example for you! Doesn't need a heavy electic wheelchair, but can't use a manual wheelchair. Solution- lightweight foldable scooter. In this case though it is one that the railway company allow to be carried on trains, but are applying the ruling that it can't be driven on and off them.

The higher centre of gravity and small wheel base really make it concerning. A broken neck wouldn't go down well.

 

[WatcherZero]

In most cases the weight isn't so much the issue - you could always get a stronger ramp. It is the size of the scooters which is the problem. On an open platform or street they might not look too bad, but on a train they are huge. The size of the object is too big for the wheelchair areas on most rolling stock, and this is before you consider the large turning circle of the scooter. The TOC I work for did tests, and published the pictures internally, and in many cases the scooters just got stuck and jammed in the doors / aisles as their size and turning circle meant they couldn't actually manouvre once on board.

Weight is a problem on older units, the doors arent designed to withstand large impacts from within, then theres also the steps, scooter driver accidentally gets too close to a door and suddently the things beached.