UNFORTUNATELY many local government attempts to do the right thing often devolve into a "license and control it" approach. The result: the nanny state gets ever bigger and bylaw officers have another chapter of authority to study and implement.
The town council of Sidney on Vancouver Island undoubtedly felt it was acting on behalf of its citizens when it forwarded a motion on the licensing and control of motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters to the Union of B.C. Municipalities for debate at its annual conference beginning Sept. 16. At the very least, council could be seen to be "doing something."
But really, what is envisaged? Will sidewalk strollers really be any safer from careless scooter drivers if the devices are licensed? Should we license their riders too? At what cost to the user? Will scofflaw scooter riders "lose" their licence for making unsignalled turns or backing into the canned food display at the supermarket? Will impound lots need to grow in size?
As the use of these mobility devices increases, would it not be simpler to limit their speed to say 4 km/h and to require them to have a working bell or horn? Education on their use to limit accident potential is also key. But do we really want to make our bylaw officers and police forces into scooter cops? There is a slightly better argument to be made for licensing cyclists if we are going down this road.
Perhaps "licensing" and a number of costly pitfalls could be avoided if scooter riders were just required to carry valid identification and produce it on request.
