BLOG POST WALKERS SHOULD BE LICENSED

BLOG POST      WALKERS SHOULD BE LICENSED  

                          SHARE THE ROAD? SHARE THE SIDEWALK!

Now that I am a tricycle, er, an ECV, aka, a scooter, rider, I am keenly aware of the stopping habits of walkers. Driving a scooter among when there is a crowd of pedestrians all around you, is very much like walking among the mass of  walkers in a New York City subway station.

In fact, walking in the subway terminal is excellent training for driving my scooter among a crowd of walkers. You just choose a lane and proceed deliberately --not fast --but at a clip where walkers are less likely to cut in front of you. Of course,  I said less likely.

There are those who cut in front of you saying, ”Excuse me” even as they are infringing upon your space. Or,  like the man at LaGuardia  airport,  who looked down on me seated in a wheelchair and said, “ I’m just going to get ahead of you here, because they are going to put you on the plane first anyway.”

He then proceeded to move himself and his carry- on luggage  in front of me, standing between me and the gate agents, blocking my line of sight. After he took the first step,  the rest of the plane’s passenger list surrounded me.

Suddenly, I felt hot. I could not breathe. I could not see the windows. I could not see the gate agent.

I could only see butts all around me. People were encircling me, standing, : I was literally surrounded...  seated in a wheelchair surrounded by standers.

Eventually there were a break in the blockade where I could make eye contact with a Delta employee who was waiting, I believe,  to board the flight as a passenger, not working the flight herself. She avoided my eyes as long as she could stand it, but I kept my eyes fixed on her, and I raised my hand like a third grader. I kept my hand aloft. Interestingly, none of the passengers appeared to notice my physical S.O.S.

Eventually, with her head down and her eyes averted,  she said something to the gate agent. The gate agent then waded through the throng to rescue me. He asked if I needed anything.

“Yes, I need to get some air. I  need to get out of here. I am hot here. I can’t breathe with all these people surrounding me.”

He apologized. “They should never have parked you there. I am sorry. Do you need anything? Some water?”

“Yes, water would be good. Thank you.”

He moved me next to the scanner where they check your ID just before they admit you to the  gangway and he got me a bottle of water. Crisis relieved.

Walkers do not just cut in front of scooters, though: they also STOP and stand. They could be consulting the park map. They could be scanning their phones. But they are stopped dead still in my path. Okay, so I maneuver around them.

I have come to believe that walkers should be licensed. And, to get their license, they need to have training.

This training used to be what was called “home training.” You were taught to allow others to pass. You were taught to stop if you were about to collide with someone.

 “After you.”  “No, after you.”

You were taught the rules of polite behavior, i.e., considering that others might have needs, rights, and yielding was taught. Yielding was taught as polite, courteous behavior.

And we all knew that. Walk on the right. A rule we have had in polite society, so each person has their own lane.

I rolled into Casey’s on the Corner, a baseball-themed eatery. There were people everywhere.

A petite Filipino lady came to me and said, “They are all going in front of  you. They are getting in front of you--everybody.” 

She had a look of exasperation and distress. She motioned for me to follow her. I did.

All the way to the left, against the wall, was a line to the cash register marked with the sign for wheelchairs.

There was a designated line for riders! I got service right away.

I remained angled in front of the register. The condiments were on a table along the wall;  but, to reach them would require me to drive into a recess.

 That would then mean, backing out. I was not going to do that.

Allison and her friend offered to get condiments for me, and, to carry the tray for me. They followed my scooter outside. We found a table where a family of three were just leaving.

I thanked Allison for her help. She asked if I needed anything else. I said, “I don’t think so.”

She left. Then, very shortly, she returned-- with napkins and utensils. I thanked her again.

It was so kind of her. And, I appreciated her help very much.

Politeness demands that we apply the Golden Rule. I was taught about that, all the time, especially, by my grandmother.

“Treat others the way you want to be treated.” It is really just that simple. That Rule covers virtually every situation likely to arise.

If you are riding a scooter, do you want someone to STOP --and STAND-- in front of you?

Do you want someone to say, “Excuse me,” as they cut in front of you? Do you want someone to push their luggage and themselves in front of you, butt to your face?

Do you want someone to offer to get condiments, carry your tray, help you find a table? Do you want someone to return --with napkins and utensils?