Get ‘fool’ machines off our footpaths, please

DR Schade’s letter (5.2.19) was right on the button with regard to Lime scooters. On a walk to St Clair Beach from Caversham last week, I had an encounter with one parked ‘‘higgledypiggledy’’ on the footpath.

Walking briskly, I passed through a small gathering of people. I was looking across the road at houses on the other side. My elbow struck the parked scooter handle end, causing a shock of pain and resulting in the damned fool machine crashing to the ground.

After a shout of shock and pain, folk from the gathered group approached, as I grasped my elbow, asking if I was OK. I replied, ‘‘no problems’’, and continued to the beach.

The point is these machines don’t have to be ridden to cause health and safety issues. The council is responsible for the ‘‘freebie’’ scooter mayhem. For the machines to be parked on the footpath surely deserves a payment of a fee to the council coffers, exactly as applies to pavement shop signs.

Get these scooters off the footpaths. Jim Moffat

Caversham

FOLLOWING Dr Auke Schade’s comments regarding Lime scooters (letters, 5.2.19), I would like to add that I am not too concerned about possible injuries to Lime scooter riders. It might knock some sense into them.

What I am concerned about is the real possibility of elderly and physically impaired pedestrians who may be the innocent victims.

I have witnessed some very irresponsible actions by Lime scooter riders, namely riding full tilt on public footpaths and just barging out on to pedestrian crossings without looking.

We already have a case of a rider being in a coma. Do we need a couple of fatalities before the council takes some action?

In my opinion, the introduction of Lime scooters was rushed without being thought through. Is the council concerned or not? John Batt

Wakari LIME scooters are good fun and the tech entrepeneurs in San Francisco are laughing all the way to the bank.

Their profit depends on such dubious claims by Lime, without evidence, that ‘‘more than 80,000km of driving has been avoided in Dunedin’’ over just three weeks. It seems evident that most users are young people who don’t own a motor vehicle and who can’t be bothered walking or cycling.

The accident risk and ACC costs have already been well canvassed. But escooters are also antifitness devices, add clutter if not congestion and reduce the use of public transport.

But hey, they’re fun! Send your dollars to Cupertino! Philip Temple

Dunedin

I’VE been reading the letters in the paper about the use of Lime scooters, mobility scooters and skateboards on the footpaths in Dunedin. That doesn’t really leave a lot of room for the pedestrians, so why not leave the footpaths to all of the above and move the pedestrians to the cycle lanes? They are new, and get very little use by cycles, so it just might be the safest option. Linda Renalson

Oamaru

Camping rates

I SEE that our wise councillors have decided to increase our rates and also to look at increasing again the rates of people who let their houses for Book a Bach or Airbnb,

If they want to gather some income and decrease spending, why don’t they make the parasites in freedom campervans go to one of our camping grounds owned by a ratepayer?

That way, at least someone would be getting an income and it wouldn’t be costing us ratepayers for the provision of the campsites and their upkeep.

These campers only buy fuel and food — they don’t spend money like most overseas visitors. Why should we pay for their holidays? Leigh Pickford

Andersons Bay