It’s the strangest job in Hamilton
Voltaire Villalobos pulls on his riding gloves and adjusts his shades as the three-wheeled scooter rumbles into life.
He cruises the streets of suburban Hamilton at 15kmh, stopping to note any uneven, cracked or crumbling patches of footpath.
It will take a month for the footpath inspector to cover more than 1000 kilometres of Hamilton’s pathways.
But Villalobos counts himself lucky – inspectors before him used to walk.
It’s the first time a scooter – a Honda Guerrero – has been used for a three-year audit of Hamilton’s footpaths.
The new ride features a GPS tracking system, camera, flashing orange light and ‘‘INSPECTION VEHICLE’’ emblazoned on the back in block letters.
Villalobos - a contractor for Onsite Developments – records hundreds of footpath ‘‘faults’’ on a system that records voice information or pictures.
It’s serious business. Over the last year, the Hamilton City Council’s budget for footpaths was $2.3 million.
But that’s set to increase to $5.1m for 2018/19, as part of the 10-year-plan.
The stakes are high, too – people get badly injured from dodgy footpaths.
As Hamilton works to become an Age Friendly City, mobility-scooter-friendly walkways become more important, customer and stakeholder liaison, Matt Kofoed says.
And this data provides council with a comprehensive view of Hamilton’s footpath network.
It comes with its challenges, but Villalobos loves the work he does.
He moved to New Zealand from the Philippines in 2017 and he likes getting to know the country.
And the smiley, fluorescent-jacket-clad inspector is the kind of person walkers want to stop and chat with.
Some wave from their letterbox. Others stop walking prams or dogs to tell him about a particular patch of path they’re worried about.
He stays away from schools during peak hours – children flock to him wanting a turn on the scooter.
On this Tuesday, somebody even stops to take a picture of him and his ride.
‘‘They’re happy to see this kind of scooter,’’ he says, chuckling. ‘‘I talk to very good people.’’
The job sounds leisurely, but Villalobos’s eyes grow sore after straining to evaluate the cracks and dips of a grey footpath.
Inspecting Rototuna – with mostly concrete paths – Villalobos found 290 faults.
In other places, like those streets surrounding Waikato University with asphalt paths which deteriorate faster, it’s usually 500 or 600.
On his lunch or tea breaks, Villalobos – a keen photographer – usually stops somewhere idyllic and takes photographs on a camera he carries around in his jacket pocket. ‘‘When I see beautiful places, it’s like an exercise to my eyes,’’ he said. After work, he calls family back in the Philippines to tell them about wherever he stopped for his break. ‘‘I say, I’ve been to this place and you should visit, you’d be amazed at how beautiful it is.’’
The smiley, fluorescent jacket-clad inspector Voltaire Villalobosis is the kind of person walkers want to stop and chat with.