This past Sunday, I decided to take my new “crip” scooter to our forum group gathering at Old Maz deli for the second time–but this time I decided to do it the hard way. By “the hard way”, I mean making the trip on the sidewalks, rather than the easy way, which is going the wrong way down a one-way street in the face of oncoming cars, buses, taxis, herds of cattle, horse carts, garbage trucks and sundry and various other obstacles. These are minor challenges.
Driving the scooter along the sidewalk, (or for the Brits and/or Engs out there, along with the pedestrian pavement) is much harder. To begin with there are pedestrians; if most of whom are substantially less attentive to where they are going than the drivers of vehicles. Gaggles of people seemed to stumble down the street more involved in sharing their maté and gossiping, than they are watching for any likely obstacles. Fortunately, my scooter has the modern version of the antique “cow catcher” from steam engine days, which efficiently carves its way through the swarms of hoi polloi.
Then there are the missing bits of sidewalk–most of the time, this just means a slight jolt as the wheels drop a couple of centimeters onto the under pavement: occasionally however these “irregularities” go deeper until they reach the sewers, or even the upper reaches of hell. Cracks and gaps, some of which are several inches (or 2.54 times more centimeters) also add to the excitement.
The very best part however, are the street corners: except for a few handicapped ramps lightly dusted around the city to give the impression that someone does give a damn, most street corners are a real challenge.
My scooter, built on the chassis of an Israeli Battle Tank (they tried the chassis of a French tank, but it would only go backwards), is designed to climb curbs of 2 or 3 inches (5 to 8 cm). But here it is stymied by curbstones which are two or three times that height. The only alternative is to find a convenient driveway which can be used to transition from the sidewalk to the street, and then find a similar driveway on the other side of the street on which to transition from the street back to the sidewalk for the next block. It only seems complicated when you try to explain it; in practice it is much, much worse.
Sunday, Deb offered to walk with me to the Old Maz meeting. Accordingly I met her outside her apartment and the “Pocitos endurance trials” began. The first block was easy, they had us fooled–they actually had a handicapped ramp on both sides of the street corner. This is going to be a lot easier than I thought!
Then we came to the next corner: damn, double damn! There was not a handicapped ramp to be seen anywhere.
I suggested to Deb that she cross the street there, while I raced off to the right, up the side street until I found a driveway, checked for traffic, and shot down the driveway into the street at a 45° angle heading for a driveway on the other side that would get me back on to the sidewalk for another block. Having reached the second sidewalk, I did a sharp left and shot back down the side street to meet Deb, made a right turn at the corner, and continued on with her.
And so it went, street after street, after street, after street, ad nauseum, ad infinitum… In fact, it became so commonplace that I was lulled into a false sense of security, at which point the “pothole demons” pounced.
It was in the very last block before Old Maz–I decided to shift from the right side of the street to the left in order to save going through one extra corner at 21 de Setiembre.
I chose a likely driveway, shot out into the street and pointed my scooter at another driveway which seemed to offer an easy ingress to the sidewalk. Somehow, the light and shadows fooled me. Instead of a smooth incline from the street to the sidewalk, my front tire hit one of those holes that leads straight to the seventh level of Hell: bam! From 6 kph to a dead stop!
I bent the accelerator lever with my body, but my cat-like reflexes (about as good as those found in any stuffed animal) nevertheless kept me from falling. Either that or it was my size 15 shoes which I routinely use as outriggers…
The final score: Pocitos 1, The Southron 0.
Epilogue: Something in the under carriage was knocked out of whack, and the front tire gradually deflated. The Southron ended up being ignominiously carted home in Julio’s Peugeot Partner along with the scooter. Yesterday, we called the motorcycle mechanic, and the damage is not bad: only $100 and three days.
All of which goes to prove that it is safer riding the wrong way down a one-way street than riding on the sidewalk—maybe that’s something like the water draining clockwise instead of counter-clockwise?
My own experiences with scooter travel differs somewhat…
Southron’s scooter, approaching the visibility of a school bus, may navigate the street without incident. Despite its Candy Apple Red color my little motito is not nearly so visible.
Having tired of doubling the distance to DeVoto and back via driveway searches, I decided to travel the street for the last 2 blocks.
At the first intersection a taxi careened around the corner and came so close as to elicit an audible gasp from passersby. In lieu of an apology I got a raised fist and gunned engine. A bit further a car emerged from an underground garage at freeeway speed..and another near miss. A bus, a double parked delivery truck and several attempts by drivers to see if they could forcibly push the scooter back onto the sidewalk prompted my rapid return to seeking out driveways.
How about launching an effort to construct ramped corners?
Left by clara on January 24th, 2007
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Sounds like an interesting Sunday adventure in Pocitos parish, so glad to hear y’all survived if somewhat a little battered and bruised. Visions of Rommel dodging Monte etc..
Seems like the new Chariot will run best on the highway, however in order to safeguard the parishioners of Pocitos it would seem only fair for Deb to walk in front carrying the requisite red flag to give all warning to keep clear!
Don Quixote Lives,
Adrian.
Left by southron on January 24th, 2007
Hello there!
I do not experience mobility issues, so I might be saying something that would not be of much help… but… have you thought of going to Old Maz not by going up or down or in any possible direction ;) with the scooter by using 21 de setiembre street, but, instead, “travel” to Villa Biarritz Park (by the Rambla or with some alternative, calmer, “flatter” in altitude way) and then, from there, use one of the streets Old Maz has “by the side”? You would not have to face heavy traffic at all.
Maybe I am totally off with my comment, but just in case here it goes.
Do you go very often there?
I love very much the cooking there myself. And the plays. Have you ever stayed during Sunday Nights, on the second floor, to watch a theater play while you eat? It is a very interesting activity! very original one! (although not sure in Summer they do any of that, they wil probably wait for March to begin with new plays).
Left by Elenacam on February 10th, 2007