As a frequent downtown pedestrian of an advanced age, I view with alarm the friendly coverage this newspaper has given to the menace of motorized e-scooters on our sidewalks. Silent, and potentially deadly, these nasty little two-wheelers come up quickly from behind, passing unsuspecting walkers without warning, zigzagging around the infirm, mothers with baby strollers, innocent children and the elderly. Of course, the lazy e-scooter riders are afraid to drive their vehicles among moving automobiles and choose to mingle with foot traffic where they don’t belong.
I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to drive a motorized vehicle on a city sidewalk. If I still had my old Triumph motorcycle and followed behind a couple of whizzing e-scooters as they surprise pedestrians, I’d be busted immediately. When will the city get these grown-up toys off the sidewalk and onto the playground where they belong? Why is The Tribune celebrating the electric scooter invasion? Where are the police when we need them?
Soon enough, sure enough, if nothing is done, someone on foot is going to be run down and hurt by a Bird or a Lime. When that happens, someone else will be sued into well-deserved penury.
Allen Dodworth, Salt Lake City