I hate mobility scooters

[Lisaloo]

Anyone seen letting a child operate an ECV should immediately be ejected from the park. Period. If Disney would enforce it people would stop this insane and highly dangerous behavior.

 

[BagOLaughs]

I've been hit by an ECV, a stroller, someone's big backpack, a manual wheelchair, etc....But it's more then annoying when you get hit by an EVC. It can take you down pretty quickly. That's the difference.

Still not an excuse for this thread and does justify the posts here. My point still stands. If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all.

 

[BagOLaughs]

Look, people on this forum are Disney people, that means for most of us we're adults that like to frequent Disney parks (with kids or not). This means that for most of us there have been times when we've been called names or ridiculed because of this.

On these boards people generally rally together and say, ignore these people that can't keep their mean spirited thoughts to themselves. You should be able to enjoy Disney even if you are an adult (with or without kids), so ignore the hurtful comments and carry on enjoying yourself.

I think the same message applies here. Disney people who hate on ECV users are no better than other people who make snide remarks about adults that enjoy Disney.

 

[piccolopat]

She's using her horn, something someone in an earlier post requested. It's crowded, she doesn't want to hit people. I also noticed several people still stepped in front of her. What was she doing wrong?

Using the horn was fine but she was trying to plow through people faster than the crowd was moving and she was expecting everyone to move out of her way. Frankly if she couldn't slow it down or control it in a crowd, she would have been better off hanging back until most of the exit crowd was gone.

 

[sam_gordon]

Still not an excuse for this thread and does justify the posts here. My point still stands. If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all.

I would suggest if you have a problem with certain posts or posters, report them to the mods. Unless the posts break board policy, they're allowed, whether you like them or not. Discussion boards wouldn't last very long if people couldn't present their views.

 

[BagOLaughs]

I would suggest if you have a problem with certain posts or posters, report them to the mods. Unless the posts break board policy, they're allowed, whether you like them or not. Discussion boards wouldn't last very long if people couldn't present their views.

Like i said in a previous message I haven't got a problem with freedom of speech. People are entitled to say what ever they like. However saying spiteful or hateful things is just not considerate. I understand that people are going to complain and say horrid things, so i post here and hope that I can try and convince some people that actually the world would be that much nicer if now and again we could just let people be.

If you said people on ECV's annoy me when they ram my ankles that's one thing. But when the entire post is titled "why i *HATE* scooters" that is what annoys me.

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

Minimum age to rent an ECV is 18, but some renters don't want to obey the rules. If a cast member sees kids driving, or sitting in front of the driver, they will try to put a stop to it.

In my case they sure didn't. If they had stopped the under 10yo from driving I wouldn't have been flattened onto the concrete.

 

[SueM in MN]

I wish Disney would make a lane for scooters and strollers, and a rule that they can not drive them on the sidewalks.

So, where would they go and how would they keep walkers out of the scooter/stroller lane?

There is a well marked wheelchair lane going up the hill to The Land building.
It's usually full of walking people; often walking side by side and taking up the whole path. A lot of time they refuse to even move over to half of the path.

I work in rehab And mobility scooters are hated by all the Physical Therapists.

They say the scooters make disabled people more disabled and plain old lazy people disabled.

That's quite an attitude.
I'm assuming that you are not a therapist, or you would be aware of research that over emphasis on keeping walking at all costs can do as much damage as not exercising. Especially in terms of conditions like cerebral palsy or neuromuscular diseases, where the person may be using 2-3 times as much energy to go a specific distance as a person without one of those conditions. A lot of people with those types of conditions can also develop overuse arthritis by walking when they shouldn't.

ECVs are tools. Some people may use them when they shouldn't - like using it ALL the time when the recommendation was to use it as a tool for distance.
Going to a WDW park for the day includes a lot of walking - an average of 5-6 miles per day. Saying someone shouldn't use an ECV for that kind of distance and should just be in pain so people don't think they are fat and lazy is abusive and unprofessional.

Nice attitude.

Contrary to how you may have read my posts, I am not against ECVs, UNTIL it's EXPECTED that people (through no fault of their own) will get hit. I even mentioned up thread that if someone jumps in front of you and stops, I understand (and forgive) them being hit. But if you're following me out of the park after Wishes and I have to stop because there is no where for me to go, if I get hit, you better darn well believe I'm going to be upset.

And yes, I have pushed a manual wheelchair through Disney for my FIL. And no, we didn't "prep" for it. It was something that had to be done if he was going to take the trip.

Does anyone know why they DON'T put brakes on ECVs?

They DO have brakes, but people assume they don't because there is no brake pedal to apply.
Electric motors in ECVs and power wheelchairs have AUTOMATIC BRAKES. The default position is having the brakes engaged. When you apply power, the brakes disengage and it goes.
When you stop supplying power by letting up on the throttles, the brakes are engaged again and it stops.
They don't stop on a dime because of momentum, but they do stop quickly once no power is being supplied to the motor.

I think that with the crowds of people at disney the use of ecv are too dangerous. You are literally in a huge croud with heavy machines that can not stop fast enough for the area they are used in.
I get that some people need them. I just think these things need to be redesigned and lighter. Able to stop faster. Just because someone has the right to use one, walking people also have the right to be there without being hurt by one.
Are motorized wheelchairs the same way? Or are they easier to control? Maybe people should use those? Do they stop faster? It just seems something else that's lighter and more easily handle would work better. Maybe someone here could make something?

No. The answer to all the bolded questions is no.
Power wheelchairs and ECVs both have the same kind of automatic brakes and the brakes are very effective. My daughter's power wheelchair will not go more than 6 inches farther once she takes her hand off the joystick, no matter how fast she was going.
ECVs are the same. When they don't stop, it's more likely user error - that the user has not completely stopped providing power to the motor (still pressing on the power control)

Power (motorized) wheelchairs are HARDER to control. Everything is controlled with a single joystick that controls speed, direction -forward and reverse- and turning all at the same time. It's not intuitive and takes practice to control.
ECVs have a separate throttle, steer with a yoke, similar to a bicycle and have a separate control or lever to change from going forward to reverse.

Power wheelchairs are much heavier. My daughter's power wheelchair weighs about 300 pounds empty. ECVs are more like 150 pounds or lighter.

The biggest issues are people not being familiar with the equipment before they go out - many don't realize there is a lever or dial to set the top speed. Some are very panicked about being separated from their family - people using wheelchairs and ECVs get cut off from their group all the time and people see the following distance the driver has left as a space to get into.
It's not like driving a car where the driver can get blamed for rear ending the car in front of them. There are no lanes, so people are coming from all over. If it has to be compared to a toad, the walkers pulling out in front of an ECV or wheelchair are more like the drivers on a multilateral highway who come into an entrance ramp and cut diagonally across the following distance in every lane to get to the farthest lane from where they started.

There are rules regarding ECVs that some people don't follow. Every company has rules against passengers on the ECV and almost all require the driver to be over 18. But, I have seen people stopped and as soon as the CM is out of sight, they are back to doing it. And, some people think it's cute for the 4 year old to stand in front of grandma or sit on her lap and drive the ECV.

THOSE ARE THE exceptions though, not the rules. Most people are considerate and careful. People notice the unusual things, but many people using ECVs feel invisible because people just don't see them and pop out ahead of them without even knowing they are there.
Everyone needs to be aware and considerate of everyone else.

 

[bianca]

This thread makes me fearful for my future! I have Lupus and have dealt with it for almost 20 years now. It's not severe and I have always been able to navigate the parks without assistance. My last two trips to WDW I skipped the parks entirely, as I just haven't been feeling up to the long hikes and my joints are all being problematic. We currently have 3 trips planned for the next year and the first is with my new (and only) grandchild. I am really looking forward to going into the parks with him. However, my DH has stipulated that I must rent a wheelchair (he has agreed to push me) in the event that I even have one bad day. I have to have a back-up plan. He said he simply can't bear to watch me be in as much pain as I have been in the past. I get that.

However, the mean spiritedness of many people on here have really made me look at this differently. Am I just suppose to sit at home and wait to die, when I have wonderful memories of a place I spent many mobile years? I think not. On the other hand, I told my DH that I refuse to let him push me up hills, etc. and that I will get out of my chair and walk with my cane until we reach a flat area again. Am I going to get rude comments from people like "See, she can walk!" It seems that until you are in the position of needing the option of assistance, it's easy to dismiss or ridicule those that do. I don't wish anything bad on people, but jeez, I feel karma needs to step in for some of these folks that have posted. I know that I am doing everything possible to remain mobile. I don't think that many of the people that have posted here are doing everything they can to be understanding.

 

[whitney250]

I feel for those who have to use an ECV. On our last trip my grandmother needed one, she has COPD and Asthma and wears out quickly if she has to walk really long distances. She doesn't use one at home, but we weren't going to let her miss out on the fun just because she pooped out from walking. We ran into some EXTREMELY rude people who would cut her off, complain loudly, wouldn't step out of the walkway when we said excuse me multiple times, etc. I think part of it was probably unintentional, people on scooters are below many people's line of vision but some were pretty blatant with their actions. I drove the scooter onto and of off the busses for her because she was afraid to, and I also would navigate it out of the huge crowds after Wishes because she was so scared she would hurt someone. We did run into a few people at bus stops that were extremely sweet and my grandmother and my family really appreciated it. Are there people who abuse them? Yes. But it is very unfair to be nasty to everyone that uses them because of that. Scooters are a disadvantage when it comes to touring the parks, you have to move at a much slower pace because of the masses surrounding you.

ETA- I was hit by multiple strollers, and not one ECV. That's part of going to somewhere like Disney... I'm not going to hate all strollers because of it.

 

[Dizlvr]

The real problem is they are stuffing too many people into the parks, and they do not have the infrastructure to accommodate people in EVCs and the 10,000s of people walking around.

 

[Squirlz]

Darn those people with disabilities who have equal access.

Exactly. In this case being 'equal' meant slowing two entire tours down to her pace.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

My daughter works with girls with special needs in the summers and plans to study special education and eventually be an OT--she is always saying the same thing.

We also see first hand what a huge difference there is in quality of life and retained mobility in the population here in Germany, where use of such scooters is almost unheard of and older people or people with other issues will slow down, use a cane or rollator, etc but they keep moving, and boy does it make a difference in the number of issues you see as people age here versus when we return to the US on visits.

Totally agree with you - in France you rarely see them and if you do they are been driven by foreigners - People keep moving by themselves and thinking of DLP I maybe see one every fifth visit

 

[gwynne]

Totally agree with you - in France you rarely see them and if you do they are been driven by foreigners - People keep moving by themselves

Certainly it's a blessing when "people keep moving by themselves." It's really not a Europe vs North America thing. I can only talk about what I'm familiar with. If someone has a progressive neurological disease they are not going to control the overall progression with lots of extra exercise or a can-do attitude. If they don't have a way to get around, they stay home. Maybe that's why you don't see them.

 

[Amirah95]

I was talking to my almost 80 year old Granny about this for next trip the other day and she said for us to NOT get her one those annoying scooters things for the parks because it will end up hurting someone. LOL! I didn't expect her to say that because she dreads having to walk around Costco with me every time we go and WDW is a monstrosity. We will of course take our time with her and let her decide the pace of our touring.

 

[sam_gordon]

The real problem is they are stuffing too many people into the parks, and they do not have the infrastructure to accommodate people in EVCs and the 10,000s of people walking around.

I did start thinking about that. Is Disney just too crowded to support so many ECVs?

 

[honeybunches]

Of course I feel bad if I hit you, but generally it is your fault, not mine.

I think this general attitude is the bigger social issue.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Certainly it's a blessing when "people keep moving by themselves." It's really not a Europe vs North America thing. I can only talk about what I'm familiar with. If someone has a progressive neurological disease they are not going to control the overall progression with lots of extra exercise or a can-do attitude. If they don't have a way to get around, they stay home. Maybe that's why you don't see them.

You do see people who can't get about by themselves but they are in wheelchairs being looked after by family, friends or an association - Different health care programs and the way people get helped I guess

 

[weeniecat2442]

wow!
some of the comments on here are just...well they are just nasty.
my grandparents are in their late 80s and go to Disney World every year. They usually stay a week with my young cousins and a week by themselves.
They obviously have a lot of issues walking for long periods of time especially in the heat. My grandpa finally caved and agreed to rent a scooter this past trip. He had major heart surgery last summer and has double knee replacements.
He is 87. If I ever heard anyone say anything so nasty and mean about my grandfather slowing them down, I would have to say something back.
Have some humanity for your fellow man's condition, whatever it may be. You have no idea what someone may be going through.
You'd be a happier person if you just assume that people actually need the device they are in, rather than getting worked up over whether or not they are "faking"
If you're worried about getting hit then use your able-bodied legs and walk to another spot.
Ive been to DW over 20 times and I have never had an issue with them.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

How often does it happen compared to how often ECV's hit someone?

No.


Wait a second. Are you really claiming a manual wheelchair is heavier and harder to transport than a motorized scooter? No way.

Hand to God I don't recall ever seeing an ECV accident (doesn't mean that I is never as I could have forgotten, but I don't recall at all).

And hand to God, 14 years and my mom has her to run over someone's toes. Doesn't mean there haven't been kamikaze lane crossers who seemed to be gluttons for a toe smashing.

How prolific are these accidents to cause such disdain among those who proclaim Hatred?

And did I say a wheelchair was heavier? No--I didn't think so. But even even an average weight person was in one, it is going to hurt if your toes are run over. Or are you claiming it feels good?

eTA: I see you quoted another poster. A wheelchair is heavy and bulky once a rider is in it. Lacking a motor it is bulky and heavy. I have ridden in in around DC. Not fun at all! A lot of work. And I did my best to help. But any incline and I couldn't do it. Have you tried using ONLY your arms to get up a small incline? Does the wheelchair feel "light" to you?