My DH was run over by an electric scooter!!!!

[CinderellasSister]

Oh, and one other story I need to add. To those of you on scooters in WDW..... TAKE THE KEY WITH YOU!!!!! Do not leave it in the scooter for even a second if you are not sitting on it at the time. My MIL had left her scooter and taken the key with her. When she came back there was a man sitting in the scooter!! She said to him "Are you going to take it for a ride?" His response? "If the key had been in it, I would have!" THE NERVE!!! This is her personal scooter, from home, that she needs due to her disabilities, and this jerk wanted to take off with it!!!! The depths of people's rudeness never ceases to amaze me.

 

[Charleyann]

We were in MK one day last year and a man not watching where he was walking, walk straight into my Ds (10 years old) lap, face first. Hurt DS too! My little guy was crying and suffered a blooding nose as the man's head connected with my son's nose.

Another time nother man walked directly in front of my DS moving wheelchair and got tangled in the foot rest of his wheelchair. The man nearly trip and it almost threw my son out!. Told the man thats what happens when you step in front of a moving wheelchair!

Then you have people who stop dead in front of a moving wheelchair to chat!

Guess it goes both ways!

Charleyann

 

[alloyd1170]

I saw a lady loaded down with bags on her ECV slam into a stroller, knocking it over. Thankfully the child was strapped in or wouldve been thrown. WDW does seem to be the test course for 1st timers.

As others have mentioned, walkers are also to blame. I dont know how many times people dart in front of our stroller every day at WDW. Its my biggest pet peeve. When my mom was alive and used an ECV (she did have an excuse-she had cancer), the same thing happened to her. At first she was nice about it, but it didnt take long for her to turn rebel. People would dart in front of her to try to get ahead and she wouldnt be able to stop in time. They would turn around and go off on her like it was her fault.

 

[tx2tn]

My DW and I have been to WDW twice, once in 2001 and once in 2006. We each were amazed at the increase in numbers of the skooters from 2001 to 2006.

The bottom line is that when you combine pedestrian traffic with motorized traffic, there will be problems. On a couple of occasions we were cut-off by a skooter. I'm sure they didn't know they did, heck we may have stepped in front of someone with a skooter.

I'm sure Disney is working on a way to put the Magic into this whole issue.

As my DW and I were walking amongst those people with skooters, I just tried to remember a bumper sticker I had once seen on a car at the grocery store, perhaps it is appropriate now. "I will gladly give you my parking spot for your legs".

 

[luv2nascar]

I always call them jazzy carts. I have been almost run over by them in the grocery store, parking lots, and home depot. I hate being near them. They are going in reverse and not looking. I avoid them at all costs because I have two kids and worry about my little being run over. My kids see one and go jazzy cart and turn and head the other way.
I know this isn't all drivers but some of the ones I've seen must have been first time drivers or really really careless. I didn't get an apology any of the times I had close calls either including a bump from a woman goiing in reverse.
Trust me if I see you in the ECV you get as much room as possible because I am practically running the other direction.

 

[fuji]

We were at Epcot last week, in line for Nemo. The line was moving fast, just walking through. There was a lady in a ECV in front of us who was having a hard time making it through the tight isles inside. The people directly behind her stayed on her tale, making her more nervous, which made her negoiate the turns worse. The ECV driver let some people pass, but when we got to her and she told us to just squeeze by her, I said "no, we don't mind waiting." We gave her about 5-6 feet space behind her and kept everyone else behind us (I am a rather wide man). After a couple of turns and us politly giving her space, she manage to get better and only slowed us down for maybe a minute.

My point is, if people just relax and remember that they exist with many others, life is alot easier.

 

[disneygal55]

Years ago when my DS was about eight a woman in an electric scooter ran over his foot as we were standing and waiting for a show to start. He cried out in pain. She looked over at him and without even an apology moved to another place. Also several years ago a CM was moving one over near a ride and ran over my DH's foot. He had issues with his foot to begin with. She apologized and gave us fastpasses to a popular ride. People just need to be more careful. How about a "travel lane" for wheelchairs, scooters and strollers (kind of like the HOV lanes on highways)? We've also been run into by strollers and we know how difficult it is to manuver strollers during busy times at the parks.

 

[kaytieeldr]

How about a "travel lane" for wheelchairs, scooters and strollers (kind of like the HOV lanes on highways)? We've also been run into by strollers and we know how difficult it is to manuver strollers during busy times at the parks.

That's been suggested in the past in threads on this topic. Realistically, where would you put such lanes? And to have a "travel lane", you'd have to mark it with something more visible than lines on the pavement; something like chains or railings, right? Well, those could then only have limited entrance/exit points. I don't even mean just the beginning and end of the lane, but just say Main Street. Guests on foot would be able to go in and out of stores as they came to a doorway; Guests in the "travel lane" would have to first get to a point where the chain or railing was open.

Plus, Disney HAS a well-marked wheelchair lane outside The Land pavilion. Doesn't stop pedestrians from using it, despite there being MUCH wider non-wheelchair paths to get in and out of the building.

 

[disneygal55]

I'm sure that things would have to be ironed out but it could be an option for people to use (travel lane) during the busy times. I remember how tough it was to move two strollers through the road after a parade or fireworks. I was always waiting for the inevitable ram into the back of my legs by a stroller or chair when everyone was leaving the parks. It would probably be a godsend to some using scooters to be able to move a lot more freely.

 

[madenon]

Disneygal, the first thing that pops op in my mind is the mixed parties. The biggest group of those using a stroller, ecv or wc at wdw will be there with others who walk. What do we do with those groups? Letting the walkers of those groups on the wc-lane would make sure they'ld be at risk (more so than with mixed as the "drivers" will be less expecting it), or let the "drivers" on the walk-lane? Again that can cause extra risk and maybe more important; more petty peeves among people about those "rude persons who don't stick to designated their lane". You could split the groups up, but that aint much fun to spend a trip either.

(finally something that I've got a benefit on because of the travelling solo )

 

[drogerstn]

Okay, that's an interesting point of view. How do you propose this be done? Isn't the only way to 'practice' loading and off-loading an ECV on a bus to actually USE a bus?...

When Disney puts in the qualification course for ECV drivers, they need to include a simulator for loading on and off buses. In other words, its not going to happen and my comment was in light of the threads being posted at the time. (Still not a bad idea to have this type of setup available wherever someone picks up an ECV for the 1st time.)

If she rented if from Disney, it only had one speed. SLOW. Slower than the average person walks. ...

Well she needs to stay out of my way then because I walk faster than the average person.