A fellow travel advisor let me know that her clients recently had a terrible time with a scooter they rented at the park. Apparently super sensitive sensors have been added or upgraded and it was making their scooter stop all the time due to sensing a pedestrian ahead of the scooter.
Her client’s family even tried pacing themselves in a bubble around the scooter to clear a path for it but still had a terrible time getting around the parks.
Have others had similar troubles lately? Is this a common thing with the park rental scooters /ECV or was this just a one-off?
We tend to recommend third-party rental companies anyway but I have one client for whom the park rentals would make more sense. I want to know if this is really happening a lot.
I have not heard that, but it sounds awful! If you hear anymore about that, let me know. We were thinking about using the WDW for our one day at the parks. That would be a definite no-go for me. I’d feel beat up after stopping suddenly all day.
I wonder if the powers that be have done a complete Health and Safety overhaul. This would seem to tie in with the pushchair /wagon restrictions, ice and smoking ban. How to balance the safety of the person with a disability with those on foot, small children etc.? Maybe they need scooter lanes or a general request that scooters stay on the right of paths or that pedestrians give way to scooters.
It is sad that the inconsiderate or careless ‘driving’ or walking of the few, impacts on the whole.
Yes…but as they can’t fit automatic sensors on pedestrians, the scooters are the only viable option. I wonder if it would help if they emitted a quiet alarm/beep. Presumably the sensors slow the scooter to a gentle halt and don’t emergency stop. How to keep everyone safe?
Just that your answer referred to inconsiderate drivers. I’m sure there are some but the amount of pedestrians putting themselves in harms way is breath taking. An alarm wouldn’t help, they look you in the eye as they run out in front of you. They know you’re there, they just refuse to wait 5 seconds for you to pass. And I did say that there was no way to stop the pedestrians.
Of course. I agree with you. I am guessing that in most collisions with a scooter or even a pushchair and a pedestrian, the pedestrian comes off worse and it is the pedestrian who is more likely to go running off to First Aid for a plaster or GS ( for a free FP…did I say that aloud?). I recall @joefishing209 telling us about another scooter driver hitting him and trapping his leg. The situation is appalling but maybe WDW are reacting to injuries and complaints. Maybe more scooter drivers should complain?
P.S. I have edited my original reply to include inconsiderate pedestrians .
ECV have sensors that make them stop. Most have to do with weight. If you are too heavy or the weight shifts they can stop. Some have sensors on the floor of the ECV if you pick up your feet they stop and some in the seat if your not seated they won’t move. They do this so while the ECV is stopped and no one is on them they won’t move under power. I’ve snagged my pockets on the throttle while getting off and crashed into thing, so lesson learned getting off turn off and remove key. If they had sensors that stopped them if something was close you would not be able to park them correctly or navigate a que. It sounds like there was something wrong with this ECV, I’ve had ones do this to me in stores usually a bad weight sensor.
Yes I doubt the scooter drivers are complaining because although they might be upset by hitting someone, they are almost never going to be injured. The pedestrian, even if hit at a very slow pace - I can testify to this from DH bumping me - is likely to be sore!!
I wonder what percentage of people hire a scooter in park compared to a 3rd party rental.
My car has one DW still backs into things. My SUV has a camera that I absolutely hate. It makes everything look so far away I’m afraid I’m going to hit something.
I have read a lot of your posts and trip reports and I must say that I view scooter drivers from a very different perspective because of them. I hope that I have never been inconsiderate to people with a disability but your posts have opened my eyes a little wider and helped me to understand. Thank you for sharing your experiences…both good and bad.
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Get too close to a stroller or ECV, and you start emitting an alarm signal.
