Amy's Robot

Perils of the Mini-Scooter

Will mini-scooters join squeegee men, panhandlers, street pissers and bad graffiti as signs that the city has lost control? In my neighborhood, kids on mini-scooters are EVERYWHERE, weaving in and out of traffic, sidewalks and parks without a care in the world. They look like accidents waiting to happen, and apparently they are: a guy with one in Brooklyn crashed into a truck the other day and is on life support now. The city, apparently, is beginning to crack down, as the scooters, although legal to sell, are illegal to ride. They may have to step up the effort, though: up here in East Harlem (aka Spanish Harlem, aka SpaHa, aka Soon-to-be-not-Spanish-Harlem) the kids are racing around on unlicensed, loud, and not-very-safe-looking dirt bikes now.

If your city has not been hit by the locust-like infestation of these things, note that they are not scooters in the moped/Honda Esprit sense of the term: they're like a cross between those things, a skateboard and (sometimes) a bike seat. Judging from recent sidewalk run-ins, it's not unreasonable to fit 3 dumb kids on each vehicle. It's funny how these things have morphed from a way for decrepit old people to get to the grocery to a way to go check out the tweenie hotties in another neighborhood.

But let me say: What a bunch of classist hypocrites we will all be if the city permits Segways but not mini-scooters.

categories: NYC
posted by adm at 4:32 PM | #