A comment I made in someone else's post

[telophase]

I saw a patrol car pull over a man in a motorized wheelchair last night on the way home from work. Presumably it was because he was going against the flow of traffic like a pedestrian and vehicles are supposed to go with the flow of traffic, but I can't say for sure as I was passing them at the time.

All I know is that it's a large, busy street that separates a residential area from a commercial area with a grocery store and there are no sidewalks down large swathes of the street, so if you can't drive a car or walk on the grass, you're hosed. I cannot blame the guy for going down the "wrong" side of the road - I'd want to see the traffic coming also!

Comments

[trouble]

Honestly, I used to have such panics when Don would go out to get groceries in Halifax because he'd have to go down the road instead of the sidewalk. The sidewalk was in such disrepair it was pretty much impossible for someone to navigate a wheelchair along it. It's terrible. People die because they're hit by cars all the time.

[telophase]

Yes - I worry when I see this guy and others out on the roads because the traffic is so heavy. I think there might be a treatment or residential facility nearby as I've seen numerous people driving wheelchairs along the street, presumably to the grocery store or one of the other places in the area.

If the grocery store that's supposed to go in closer to our house works out, it should help as there's more sidewalks in that area.

[riofriotex.livejournal.com]

Hopefully the patrol car was only suggesting to the man that he get a flag for his wheelchair? (so it's more visible for motorists)

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Hopefully so. The area sucks for anyone who can't drive, moreso if you can't walk on the grass. There's apparently negotiations underway for a grocery store to go in a little farther down the road, near our house. It'll be a boon for the various people I see who use wheelchairs on the road, as there's sidewalks down that way and they don't have to cross railroad tracks to get there. I'd say less traffic, but once the store goes in, that'll change.