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Have just been a victim of road rage.
1. I had to slow down behind a motorised vehicle, despite the fact that I was freewheeling on a bicycle.
2. I nearly went straight into side of vehicle, which did not signal as it went round the roundabout where West Hill meets the busy ringroad.
3. I braked hard and shouted, "You should be on the pavement, not the road!"
4. The driver shook his / her fist and swore at me.
As far as I can tell from this Hansard page, I was actually wrong*: it is perfectly legal to operate a motorised wheelchair on a public highway.
As long as it doesn't go over 8 miles per hour.
Bloody hell. I had always assumed they were intended for pavement use (where they pose a different kind of hazard: pedestrians diving into hedges, apoplectic dogs, schoolchildren pointing and laughing). I applaud the mobility that they offer to the disabled and infirm.
But I can't believe it is safe to drive a vehicle with a maximum speed of 8mph, and no signals, on a busy road.
*you may wish to make a note of the date. Of course I am often wrong -- in the last 48 hours I have apparently been wrong about a great many things, such as exercise contributing to weight-loss; the Harry Potter books being fantasy; my ability to identify rabbit droppings; whether or not Lambrusco is fit for human consumption -- but I seldom admit it.
1. I had to slow down behind a motorised vehicle, despite the fact that I was freewheeling on a bicycle.
2. I nearly went straight into side of vehicle, which did not signal as it went round the roundabout where West Hill meets the busy ringroad.
3. I braked hard and shouted, "You should be on the pavement, not the road!"
4. The driver shook his / her fist and swore at me.
As far as I can tell from this Hansard page, I was actually wrong*: it is perfectly legal to operate a motorised wheelchair on a public highway.
As long as it doesn't go over 8 miles per hour.
Bloody hell. I had always assumed they were intended for pavement use (where they pose a different kind of hazard: pedestrians diving into hedges, apoplectic dogs, schoolchildren pointing and laughing). I applaud the mobility that they offer to the disabled and infirm.
But I can't believe it is safe to drive a vehicle with a maximum speed of 8mph, and no signals, on a busy road.
*you may wish to make a note of the date. Of course I am often wrong -- in the last 48 hours I have apparently been wrong about a great many things, such as exercise contributing to weight-loss; the Harry Potter books being fantasy; my ability to identify rabbit droppings; whether or not Lambrusco is fit for human consumption -- but I seldom admit it.
