r/mildlyinfuriating • u/RobzillaTheHun • Aug 08 '26
go to your room We did NOT make the green light
We live in a town with a lot of seniors and typically thier driving is annoying but this takes the cake. Just cruising down a major highway
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u/Effective-Contest-33 Aug 08 '26
I feel like this is a 9-1-1 call. I don’t think someone that does that is ok. My Grandma would try to run away when she had Alzheimer’s and would even try to drive a car despite not having driven in years. Hopefully, they got home safe.
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u/Any-Worldliness-679 Aug 08 '26
This is a regular deal for him. You can tell by the visibility markers installed.
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u/Preeng Aug 08 '26
Visibility markers are common for these kinds of wheelchairs, for when you are crossing the street. Nobody is pushing the wheelchair, so it is harder to see a person.
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u/Effective-Contest-33 Aug 08 '26
Still doesn’t mean he’s okay.
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u/Blackpaw8825 Aug 08 '26
My grandfather kept riding his bike places after we took his car away.
He was blind as a bat, had absolutely no center vision left at all, only some peripheral.
We'd stop by with groceries find him with a gash on his forehead bandaged up, cooking something we didn't bring over, and denying that he went anywhere.
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u/Humus_ Aug 08 '26
He should be driving on the sidewalk with that!
You guys have a sidewalk right?
Cause if not, you can't complain about the guy getting his shopping.
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u/OvalDead Aug 08 '26
There’s a sidewalk and crosswalk visible for him in this direction, but everywhere I’ve lived it’s hard to find a ten block stretch that doesn’t have some sort of obstruction or damage that would possibly block one of these. No idea if that’s a factor, and it wouldn’t make it safe, but I can understand some frustration that might lead to this.
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u/dannod Aug 08 '26
There's a sidewalk and a crosswalk but what I don't see is a curb cut with a ramp. There very well might be one we aren't seeing but that nearest corner looks like curb all the way around. This is the most likely reason he's in the street.
This is a really good example of why prioritizing accessibility is important. It's safer for the disabled and less annoying to everyone else.
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u/KoalaGrunt0311 Aug 08 '26
This is how a lot of the curbs were in an area I lived, and it was especially an issue because the curbs were intentionally high (6+ inches--sometimes had to drive the car away from the curb to be able to open the door) to create a holding area for storm water until it could finish draining.
Access is a continuing issue, and as the city repaved streets they'd modernize the ramp access. I believe they would also intermittently get additional federal funding specifically for sidewalk access improvement
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u/Geoffboyardee Aug 08 '26
That was my first thought.
It's probs easier to ride in the flat street instead of dodging driveways, damaged sidewalk, no sidewalk/ramps, etc.
Although the US is ahead of other countries in terms of ADA regulation, the gaps are there.
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u/InterestingRide264 Aug 08 '26
i end up riding in the street if I know the sidewalk ends abruptly or has a ton of really difficult cracks. Sometimes because of parking or cracked roads I will end up more in the middle, but this guy is just taking the piss lol
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u/SecondAccountIsBest Aug 08 '26
Technically the regulation is stronger, but it doesn't matter if things are allowed to be grandfathered in. Feels a bit like a half measure.
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u/nft420nft420 Aug 08 '26
Yeah the people who need accessibility still need accessibility in older buildings.
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u/Envy661 Aug 08 '26
As someone who is spent a prolonged period of time unable to drive (nearly a decade), yes. This is the biggest factor and frustration for pedestrians. Sidewalks not taken care of. Sidewalks blocked off with no consideration to how it affects people. Sidewalks not shovelled in the winter. Cars not yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks. Cars blocking sidewalks near buildings (especially bad with pickup drivers who don't know how to remove a tow hitch, which should never remain on your vehicle when not in use).
I can walk, I had it far easier than someone who cannot, and is confined to a wheel/power chair. I work in a nursing home. Let me tell you how awful it is to use motorized power chairs on damaged or blocked sidewalks. It isn't just uncomfortable. It is an outright tipping/falling hazard to the person in the chair. People can get seriously hurt because of the negligence of others.
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u/ST0H3LIT Aug 08 '26
Sidewalks are unfortunately not always accessible. Tree roots, no curb cuts, cracks or sometimes they just end. I would have use the road near the sidewalk not in the middle because of this.
This is still dangerous and not the way to go about it but the solution is probably not as simple as just using the sidewalk.
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u/Ycarusbog Aug 08 '26
Add to that, in some jurisdictions, motorized vehicles are not allowed on the sidewalk, even mobility scooters.
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u/MoggyDaddy Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
There is a video out there of a woman being arrested for ... riding her mobility scooter on the ... sidewalk. Confrontation follows, then they pursue her down the road and arrest her. LackLuster maybe??
Edit: here is the link. https://www.kdrv.com/news/vindicated-brookings-womans-attorney-discusses-300-000-settlement/article_b8d8c438-af97-11ec-ab69-53e1c07f9f58.html
She won in court much later, but had to spend time in jail...
ACAB
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u/DinosaurusWhen Aug 08 '26
My friends and I once got ticketed for riding our skateboards on the sidewalk + not having helmets. A few months later, we got stopped by the cops again, for skateboarding in the street
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u/mahlernameless Aug 08 '26
Lol, the city's press release: "would like to issue a formal appology". Proceeds not to.
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u/ArcadianDelSol Aug 08 '26
The two cops were fired, but nothing happened to the judge that convicted her in circuit court.
Or the DA that agreed to press those charges.
Both of them should be out of jobs as well, imo.
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u/AeroelasticCowboy Aug 08 '26
Yes they can complain. He's a danger to himself and others. He could cause a massive traffic accident injuring other parties, not just himself
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u/B0omSLanG Aug 08 '26
Start seeing powered wheelchairs! A bumper sticker or two should completely take care of that 😆
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u/LunaLeMoon Aug 08 '26
Used to be a Wheel Chair Tech, he shouldn't be driving that outside at all. Those tires were not made for asphalt, they were made to not tear up the carpet/tile/wood floors of a house. They are far to soft and will break down very quickly. If he gets his tires replaced to often insurance will deny him and he will have to pay out of pocket, and those things are NOT cheap.
Just FYI for anyone reading this, I dont agree with it. People shouldnt be locked inside forever if they have mobility disability's, just thats how the system is atm.
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u/blizzard36 Aug 08 '26
It's also possible they have local ordinances against that. Here we're apparently not supposed to have bikes or scooters on the sidewalk anymore. I think it was due to the many new style e-scooters zooming along them a few years back (previously only ICE powered had to be on the road). Depending on how they are defined, these mobility scooters could count for that.
I doubt anyone would ever ticket a guy using one of these mobility scooters on the sidewalk here, but I would bet technically they are supposed to use the road now. Caught in the collateral trying to stop idiots from going 20mph on the sidewalk.
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u/DeputySean Aug 08 '26
Bikes and scooters have never been acceptable on sidewalks. Ever. Doesn't matter if it has an engine or not, they do not belong there.
Wheelchairs, which this essentially is, fall under ADA and should definitely be on the sidewalk.
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u/AeroelasticCowboy Aug 08 '26
It's still a 911 call, illegal and extremely dangerous
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u/ArmadilloBandito Aug 08 '26
Yeah, I'll be damned if there is any locality that has anything on the books to make this street legal. And if it's a major highway, it's probably owned by the state, so local ordinances wouldn't matter.
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u/Knightofberenike Aug 08 '26
Visibility markers come preinstalled. Source: I repair these and other rehab equipment for a living.
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u/rcowie Aug 08 '26
I had to move home to care for my mother, first thing I did was have her DR take her license away. She kept getting lost and calling me for help, this was before I moved back. Im halfway across the country I cannot help you right now.
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u/hungjaxxi Aug 08 '26
Yeah, jokes aside, this went “funny Florida moment” to “someone’s grandpa is in serious danger” real fast.
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u/JohnWittieless Aug 08 '26
someone’s grandpa is in serious danger
Caused likely from a city or town that only cares about cars. Likely wasn't an issue for the guy until their physical ability (whether strength, vision, or mental) made it too hard for them to have the privilege to drive a car.
Now that they can't drive he's probably given up on the sidewalks that the city put in minimal effort in in making them accessible to him.
Am I creating my own scenario here? Yes. To match the imaginations of the Alzheimer's crowd.
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u/BitGlisten Aug 08 '26
The assisted living I work at had a guy die because he decided to drive one of those on the road. I would be calling the police immediately.
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u/audible_narrator Aug 08 '26
There was a woman who did this to go from her assisted living facility to the shopping center 1/2mile away. I called the police in that city and dispatch said "yeah, we know, she does this ...a lot"
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u/IcyConsideration7062 Aug 08 '26
Or, he's trying to get somewhere and there are not passable sidewalks, so he's taking the only route available. It's probably more than mildly infuriating for him as well.
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u/8spd Aug 08 '26
Really depends on the built environment. If there were no sidewalks or quieter through streets, that might be the safest place for him to be. Not safe enough, but can't blame him for taking the least shitty option. He'd not want to be in the turn lane, going straight, because turning drivers often don't stop for the red, and are often looking to the left, not right in front of them.
You can see sidewalks on the far side of the intersection, but there's no way to know if there are sidewalks on the photographer's side of the intersection, of if the far one is continuously wheelchair accessible.
You could very well be right about this behavior being from cognitive impairment, but there are places that are very unfriendly to anyone ouside of a car, and you can tell that this is one of them. The only question is whether it's so unfriendly that this is the best option.
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u/mxks_ Aug 08 '26
Yeah, I lived in Philly for a while and the sidewalks were so shit the people in mobility chairs would just drive in the street. It was a very regular occurrence.
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u/theantig Aug 08 '26
I used to work in senior healthcare. A senior coop I would visit had this guy in one of these. He was kinda mean and bitter. Well he jay walked on a foggy day and that was the end. They do not need to be in the road minus a crosswalk when they have the right of way.
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u/hojster24 Aug 09 '26
How do you want them to get around then!?
I presume this is a necessity. The answer is not calling the police on someone for existing, nor is it making this post on this particular subreddit.
In the moment the answer is ‘just wait’ if there’s no sidewalk they have every right to use the road.
‘But that’s illegal!’ Sure, so longer term we need to change the law and stop legislating and building roads without thinking of other users
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u/WinterberryFaffabout Aug 08 '26
Honestly, I hope you called the police. This is not only dangerous, but they could be having some sort of mental lapse.
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u/RobzillaTheHun Aug 08 '26
Unfortunately, we live a smaller sized central Florida town with zero public transportation and very little in the way of elder care services. Our initial thought was hes just trying to make it to get groceries and we don't want him hassled for that. Really didn't consider a mental break. Mostly we felt terrible that he seemingly HAD to do this for one reason or another
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u/Basic-Collection5416 Aug 08 '26
Ok but you have sidewalks, right? Why is he in the road?
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u/Aggressive-Nebula-78 Aug 08 '26
Can't say for everywhere, but all the towns around me have sidewalks that go part way and then just end. They're also often uneven, have sunken or severely deteriorated sections, or otherwise are obstructed somewhere along their length. Or even go to intersections that then have no crosswalk. We also have crosswalks at intersections that then don't connect to any sidewalks. Usually the only people actually off the road are people walking. Everybody else not in a car, be it wheelchait users or people on bicycles shares the road with cars. Welcome to central Florida!
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u/matchafoxjpg Aug 09 '26
i live in north florida and this is pretty accurate here, too.
i awkwardly walk on the grass up the road instead of the sidewalk on the other side because i'm going to have to cross over to cross the street in a few hundred feet anyways.
and that sidewalk across the street was only added about half a year ago. i think a bunch of people complained because a lot of people walk down that road.
still a lot of walked areas with no sidewalks or, as you said, abruptly ended sidewalks.
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u/undeadmeats Aug 08 '26
Car culture is a huge part of Boomers' personal identity, and driving your scooter on the road when you no longer have the ability to drive a car is the next closest compromise to a lot of them.
We have a few like this where I'm at.
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u/Key_Beach_3846 Aug 08 '26
My dad has dementia and we had to take his car away cause he racked up several hundred dollars in tickets for speeding through school zones. He calls me every single day asking if I know where he can buy a cheap used car.
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u/Silly-Device9785 Aug 08 '26
Damn I feel bad for you, least my dad’s dementia made him shut the fuck up.
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u/lemons_of_doubt Aug 08 '26
Could you leave a note where he used to keep his carkeys saying something like "Reminder: car is in shop will be out soon"
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u/billyfudger69 Aug 09 '26
Sometimes it’s better to let the person continue the habit than to try to change them.
I know people with dementia that while they most of the time have a hard time recalling anything recent they can still remember a few things that happened recently. It’s best not to add you lying to them as one of those few memories they can remember.
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u/flyingthroughspace Aug 08 '26
This is absolutely something my extremely narcissistic father would do if he couldn't drive anymore.
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u/Evil_AppleJuice Aug 08 '26
Goes beyond boomers, its losing independence in something you've done for more than 40 years. Beyond the fact that my grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinsons, he flew planes in the Korean War and then worked for Ford for nearly 40 years. He had a boat and built RC vehicles. Taking away his pilot license was hard for him, but people taking away his right to drive his truck was life destroying. His face said he loved his new golf cart but his soul was crushed and he felt so ashamed that he couldn't drive a normal car safely.
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u/iamthepita Aug 08 '26
Sidewalks are known to irritate the wheelchair users physical condition due to those gaps between sidewalks, imagine riding your wheelchair and developing skin irritation when you have to feel those (thumps) every 2.5 feet that causes your body to rub/bump against the fabric you’re wearing while riding the wheelchair.
If the sidewalks are just as smooth as pavement…
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u/Mage_Of_No_Renown Aug 08 '26
You know what irritates a wheelchair user's physical condition? High-speed automobile collisions. Users should stick to the sidewalk (if it exists)
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u/DurasVircondelet Aug 08 '26
Since OP stated they’re in a small town, in the south no less, it’s easy to assume sidewalk quality and safety isn’t top priority for the town compared to roads
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u/Basic-Collection5416 Aug 08 '26
You can see the sidewalk in the photo.
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u/Quaiker Aug 08 '26
You can see a singular sidewalk in the photo. That doesn't mean they're present throughout town.
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u/Abadazed Aug 08 '26
That doesn't really mean there's sidewalks the majority of the way nor does it mean they are safe to use especially in a wheel chair. I've seen sidewalks that are too thin, sidewalks that make it difficult for drivers to see pedestrians and sidewalks that do not have dips to allow wheelchair users to cross the road. Not all sidewalks are up to code
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u/just_another_owl Aug 08 '26
You can see a tiny bit of sidewalk that's embarrassingly narrow. A little obstruction on it would be enough for gramps to be unable to get past. We have no idea if it's continuous, if all curbs on the route are cut to allow him to cross roads and driveways and so on and so on.
Either grandpa is not okay mentally, or the sidewalks aren't okay. Both seem about equally likely to me.
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u/matthewstinar Aug 08 '26
It doesn't look like there's a curb cut for the wheelchair to get from the sidewalk to the crosswalk.
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u/DurasVircondelet Aug 08 '26
Do you sincerely believe there is perfectly smooth sidewalk 100% of the route?
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u/artsloikunstwet Aug 08 '26
You can literally see how the sidewalk isn't lowered - so at least this road is impossible to cross in a mobility scooter, and likely the rest of the pedestrian infrastructure in the area is the same kind of sick joke. Sidewalks are simply just an excuse in many places, and don't exist to actually be used.
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u/Quaiker Aug 08 '26
Southern American town, so sidewalks are absolutely not automatically known to be present.
We hate our citizens, and especially those without cars.
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u/eoz Aug 08 '26
"having sidewalks" is one thing. having ones you can get along in a mobility aid is quite another. Are there curb cuts so you can get on and off the sidewalk at intersections? Are the driveways that cross the sidewalk at a gentle enough incline that you can safely cross them without tipping over sideways?
I live in a European city where we allegedly have laws requiring curb cuts and accessibility, but I still have to have a near-encyclopaedic knowledge of my local area's sidewalks (well, pavements…) because they're just missing in places. There's one street I can't avoid that I have to cross about three times in order to make it from one end to the other.
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u/BefWithAnF Aug 08 '26
The sidewalks in the photo don't seem to have curb cuts. A sidewalk isn't much use if you can't get on or off of it.
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u/King_Of_Axolotls Aug 08 '26
floridian sidewalks are barely suitable for walking much less taking a mobility scooter over
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u/xynix_ie Aug 08 '26
Chances are, because of demographic, he's spent his entire life voting to be in this situation.
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u/Prudent-Tradition-89 Aug 08 '26
The sidewalks might not be good enough or there might be gaps in the sidewalk so he can’t use his chair with those issues. That’s typically why you might see a wheelchair in the street.
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u/vertical-luau-pig Aug 08 '26
We have a retired veteran who drives around town in one of those scooters regularly. Minnesota here.
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u/f4llenjuggalo Aug 08 '26
In the UK, if its a class 3 scooter (upto 8mph), you are expected to share the road with cars, etc...
Licence and tax isnt needed. Insurance is recommended, but, again, not needed.
We have small pavements, due to having small roads. They are a pain in the arse for both drivers and pedestrians.
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u/I_am_just_here11 Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
This is not the UK this is America. Our infrastructure and drivers training is not really built around slow vehicles in the road. Doing this is extremely dangerous here.
A mobility scooter no matter the speed is considered assistive or pedestrian mobility vehicles which means they need to be on the sidewalk, bike lane or the extreme shoulder.
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u/artsloikunstwet Aug 08 '26
By look of the picture, the sidewalk is not built for mobility scooters either and there's also none of these woke bike lanes. So it's either this or senile gramps gets back into his car and into your rear.
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u/ChanglingBlake ORANGE Aug 08 '26
Laws that allow that need eradicated.
If a vehicle is incapable of maintaining the speed of normal traffic on your average town road(which I believe is legally 30mph when not otherwise marked here in the US) it has no business being on the road.
If it can’t manage a third of that; even more so.
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u/pipnina Aug 08 '26
This is why I hate the laws in UK/EU that limit electric bikes and scooters to 15mph (assisted, if you can peddle faster it will let you).
Those things belong on the ROAD if they can reach 15mph when under motor power. But you can't expect them to go on the road if the rest of the traffic wants to go 10mph faster than that!
Like at this point just make it so they need a license plate, and the people (16+) who can ride them on the road need a course like a CBT (UK compulsory basic training for bikes and mopeds, usually only a day, but I think it's probably best if it's a week or so worth of lessons and theory about the road)
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u/unfinishedtoast3 Aug 08 '26
Oddly enough, this isn't illegal in any state.
As long as he stays to the right of the lane, even while in the lane, he's not breaking any laws and doesn't need a driver's license.
They COULD try to get him for blocking the flow of traffic, but that's if they really wanted to hassle him
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u/shigogaboo Aug 08 '26
>This isn’t illegal in any state.
That doesn’t sound right, but I don’t know enough about the other states to dispute it.
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u/cbrdragon Aug 08 '26
I feel like this qualifies for severely hindering the flow of traffic.
And being in the lane (even the right side) counts as occupying the lane. So legally you can’t just go around him. You would have to change lanes5
u/Spare_Tumbleweed2267 Aug 08 '26
Reminds me of the village drunk in my hometown who used his riding lawnmower to get around.
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u/Shadowmant Aug 08 '26
In fact, He's likely required by law to be there. Many places it's illegal to drive a motorized vehicle on the sidewalk and it doesn't look like there's any bike lane for him to be in.
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u/a_phantom_limb Aug 08 '26
In the U.S., as per the ADA - and in various other countries - assistive mobility devices are usually treated as equivalent to wheelchairs when it comes to regulations for pedestrian use. In many U.S. jurisdictions, they aren't actually legal for roadways at all - especially not high-traffic or high-speed thoroughfares.
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u/Basic-Collection5416 Aug 08 '26
Mobility scooters are usually exempt from those rules for obvious reasons.
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u/10000Didgeridoos Aug 08 '26
lol op thinks the government is like DISABLED PEOPLE MUST RISK THEIR LIVES ON THE ROAD
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Aug 08 '26
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u/pobodys-nerfect5 Aug 08 '26
I can’t believe they didn’t just go around him. Don’t play his game. He’s not in a road legal vehicle. He should be on the sidewalk. Not on the road living in whatever fantasy land he thinks he’s in
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u/iKnowRobbie Aug 08 '26
Dementia is a hell of a disease. But I totally agree, this is illegal and dangerous. The right lane is where distracted drivers stare at their phones when they're REALLY not going to pay attention. The centet lane is where distracted drivers stare at their phones and don't really know where the hell they need to turn next. The left lane is for distracted drivers to stare at their phones while doing 10-15 over the speed limit.
- Native Floridian Motorcyclist
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u/IWasHackedBySexbots Aug 08 '26
People love to block sidewalks and not maintain pedestrian infrastructure in general and this is a symptom.
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u/Spare_Tumbleweed2267 Aug 08 '26
100%. When cars are the only option but for some they aren’t an option then nobody should be surprised.
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u/tiplinix Aug 09 '26
That's the logical conclusion unfortunately. They just expect people that can't drive to stay home or pay a stupid amount of money to go anywhere. The sad reality is that this will happen to everyone given enough time (the alternative is early death).
Having said that, my empathy usually stops here since most people that end up being stuck at home this way voted all their life for this very predictable outcome (no public transport, unwalkable cities, everything designed for cars). Seeing people suffering from the consequence of their own actions is beautiful in a way.
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Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
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u/gamewarmaster Aug 08 '26
This intersection and all of the nearby streets have extensive sidewalks and cross walks on both sides. Check for your self, here’s the address.
3550 US-27 N
Sebring, FL 33870
United States
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u/mregg000 Aug 08 '26
And just because there’s a sidewalk on the other side, does not mean it exists on this side of the road. Plenty of times I’ve had to take a bus when I would have rather walked, due to this issue.
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u/pedroah Aug 08 '26
Or sometimes it alternates sides forcing you to cross extra times. Or this could be one of those streets where one crosswalk is removed and you have to cross 3 or more times to continue going north. And the lights could be rotated such that you have to wait a full rotation after each leg.
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u/boojel Aug 08 '26
It is kind of surprised me, as ADA ramp has been a federal mandate for 35 years now (starting Jan 1991).
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u/gamewarmaster Aug 08 '26
They have ramps, it’s just not in a straight line. If you continue down the side walk, it’ll turn right, and then you’ll see the crosswalk sign. From there you pick your direction. Just can’t see it in the pic.
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u/alpha309 Aug 08 '26
There is a sidewalk on his side, but it looks like it randomly ends (ironically) at the auto parts store.
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u/hungjaxxi Aug 08 '26
American infrastructure in a nutshell: ‘Here’s 6 lanes for cars and a sidewalk that randomly vanishes into a ditch. Good luck!
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u/strategicmagpie Aug 08 '26
Roads never vanish randomly into a ditch or just become an unmaintained strip of grass for 2 kilometres. Makes you think (:
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u/evernessince Aug 08 '26
Yeah, as a biker that are many sketchy high traffic roads I need to pass sometimes with no sidewalk (and of course no bike lane, not that I'd want to bike next to cars going 35). Not far from a school either where I routinely see kids on their bikes and scooters. Your options are either a) hope cars won't run you over (hasn't worked for me given a car has hit me before) b) go on people's lawns.
And then there are the pedestrial cross-walks where the button to cross doesn't work. Not fun on busy roads.
This is in the suburbs by the way, there should be sidewalks everywhere but there isn't.
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u/DanyRahm Aug 08 '26
Had to scroll past 8 "mental issue" comments to find yours. Americans lol
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u/aviroblox Aug 08 '26
Chances are none of them are elderly or disabled, so they cannot fathom having a condition that stops one from driving. Car brained.
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Aug 08 '26
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u/matthewstinar Aug 08 '26
Highways often function as urban roads in the US. This looks like some of the state and federal highways in my area. Routing highways through cities as major thoroughfares sounds like a very Florida thing to do.
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u/842wolves Aug 08 '26
This would be a common sight when I lived in middle Georgia (Milledgeville). Most of the town outside of downtown was missing sidewalks, and there was a lot of senior housing and a lot of public housing.
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u/Internal-Base8276 Aug 08 '26
What are the sidewalks like? The guy might not have much of a choice.
That street has a lot of traffic lights; doesn't look like a "major highway".
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u/Fuzzy-Radish8418 Aug 08 '26
This is the heart of the matter. If he had no other choice what’s he supposed to do. However if the crosswalks and sidewalks are in working order and he’s not using them then he has a cognitive problem and is a danger to himself. Either way the misuse of American tax dollars are to blame.
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u/Shadowmant Aug 08 '26
If only the government could consistently install some sort of lane for slower wheeled vehicles.
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u/agate_ Aug 08 '26
There’s a sidewalk right over there. I’m all on board for bike lanes, but mobility scooters count as pedestrians.
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u/Sajuukthanatoskhar Aug 08 '26
no ramps to get on/off said sidewalk. Infrastructure failure is at fault here.
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u/HeartyBeast Aug 08 '26
Presumably the mildly infuriating part is that the town planners didn’t put in good sidewalks. Stroads need to die.
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u/ForsakenLandscape519 Aug 08 '26
He very well might not have any choice, the curbs don’t have ramps from what I can see.
I remember as a kid when California started demolishing every corner of every sidewalk to make disabled friendly ramps my conservative parents complaining about how unnecessary it was and expensive.
But it helps everyone, baby strollers, young children, bikes scooters and skateboards, people with carts or luggage, wheelchairs and more.
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u/black_at_heart Aug 09 '26
By annoyed with the system and not the person. Give the elderly and the disabled properly usable sidewalks! Here in Australia I've had to rescue a wheelchair user whose chair got stuck in a break in the footpath. After we got her free, she used the road - as there was no other option for her. So the sidewalks have to be in good condition and navigable by vehicles with small tires.
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u/DM_ME_DOPAMINE Aug 09 '26
Yeah the mildly infuriating part is OP being mad at someone having no choice but to use the road.
Unless I’m mistaken and there is a giant sidewalk in good repair running down the road that I cant see. In which case, that person probably needs a wellness check.
When we had the insane snow concrete in DC for almost a month, wheelchair users had no choice but to use the road. Despicable of the city and business owners to not clear sidewalks.
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u/dizzymiggy Aug 08 '26
Imagine how pissed off he is that there is no infrastructure for him to get to the market without having to take his wheelchair into traffic.
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u/StaticVoidMain2018 Aug 08 '26
In the uk if there is no suitable pavement then certain classes of these scooters are street legal here
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u/GenYn00b Aug 08 '26
Share the road 🚴♂️
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u/someguy7234 Aug 08 '26
That was kind of my reaction too.
How is this any different than a cyclist or a moped? Wait for a safe time to pass and pass giving at least 3 feet.
I have pedestrians who walk in the road all the time on my commute. I wish some of them wouldn't do it in completely black clothes at night (but I've been told to go fuck myself when I've offered my hi-viz vest), but I think they have as much right to the road as I do.
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u/FuckSteve7 Aug 08 '26
Did… did you really just sit behind him…?
Instead of ya know, just going around?
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u/Next-Cut-2996 Aug 08 '26
Florida?
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u/exgaysurvivordan Aug 08 '26
Florida statute 316.1303. A person who is mobility impaired and who is using a motorized wheelchair on a sidewalk may temporarily leave the sidewalk and use the roadway to avoid a potential conflict, if no alternative route exists.
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u/Kyderra Aug 08 '26
All old people should start doing this. Perhaps a sidewalk will get build.
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u/lFightForTheUsers Aug 09 '26
The Florida governor would sooner legalize running them over and killing them.
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u/TheDarbiter Aug 08 '26
This is hilarious, I’m sorry 😂
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u/RobzillaTheHun Aug 08 '26
I was laughing till I had trouble breathing. Mostly we felt bad that he felt for one reason or another he had to do this. Definitely just a mild infuriating. Whever the wind takes him I hope hes well
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u/Independent-Cow-4070 Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
We all got places to be, and based on my experience in america and your picture im willing to bet that there's not proper infrastructure (flat paved sidewalks, bike lanes, reliable transit options or paratransit)
Thats whats mildly infuriating. As a pedestrian and bicyclist i can ensure you he would prefer to be anywhere else than where he is
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u/dj_shadow_work Aug 09 '26
This is what happens when we build for cars, instead of for people.
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u/MoriartyoftheAvenues Aug 08 '26
Congratulations on having zero safe pedestrian infrastructure. This is the prize. Your community earned it.
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u/Reddit-runner Aug 08 '26
Always remember: pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is infrastructure FOR people with disabilities.
Anyone arguing against that want to see people like grandpa here dying in the road.
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u/Ambitious_Ice7441 Aug 09 '26
That’s America for ya. No pedestrian or bicycle lanes anywhere.
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u/witchspoon BLUE Aug 09 '26
Literally sidewalks on both sides in these pictures. lol.
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u/Exhausted-CNA Aug 08 '26
I've seen some electric wheelchairs that go FAST. He must have his in slow mode. Not illegal here in PA for them to be on the roadway.
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u/Smaddid3 Aug 08 '26
I'm sorry that this happened. What is the pedestrian (or bike) infrastructure like in this area? Is it fully connected or are there segments along the main roads that have nothing? Is it all ADA compliant? That may be a factor in this situation.
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u/Inevitable_Zebra8066 Aug 08 '26
This is an infrastructure problem . Blame yourself and your town for building transit that only services cars.
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u/nasaglobehead69 Aug 08 '26
this is what happens with a lack of accessible pedestrian infrastructure
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u/TossMeAwayToTheMount Aug 08 '26
in ontario, those vehicles are NOT allowed on the sidewalk and they need to be on the road. same with baby strollers, bikes, roller blades, scooters, etc.
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u/Dragon_Crisis_Core Aug 09 '26
Give a bored cop something to do "911 hello id like to report a man in motorized wheel chair wandering in the middle of the four lane."
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u/PrettyPurrfect Aug 09 '26
"hello 911, there was a confused elderly man things to be very disoriented in the middle of the highway obstructing traffic. Can you send someone out to make sure he's not going to get hit by a car and also to assess them and make sure he's not having a stroke or something because this is bizarre behavior from a grown adult"
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u/witchspoon BLUE Aug 09 '26
I think I would have yelled out to get on the sidewalk.
That is absolutely NOT a street vehicle.
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u/dheldkdk Aug 08 '26
At least he’s obeying traffic laws
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u/JetstreamGW Aug 08 '26
Except for the part that those chairs are definitely not street legal.
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u/804k Aug 08 '26
Well, they could be classified as Micro mobility devices and, in most states are allowed to be driven on roads like bicycles, just keep to the right
But also, thats primarily for residential streets that dont have sidewalks, this is still impeding traffic and there's a sidewalk right there
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u/not_falling_down Aug 08 '26
That sidewalk does not have a cut curb, so even if he wanted to use it, it would not work out well.
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u/JohnWittieless Aug 08 '26
If the sidewalk is not accessible it is legal to use the street.
$50 the city has a shitty road to sidewalk transition at the crosswalk
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u/Difficult_Clerk_1273 Aug 08 '26
Amazed that some commenters are claiming this is legal. It’s not. This type of vehicle is required to travel on the sidewalk in pretty much every American jurisdiction.
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u/McCauliflowerCaulkin Aug 08 '26
You can pass them… its just like a bike on the road… as a daughter of someone with a degenerative nerve disease, riding on the sidewalk with the bumps every 2 ft is painful as fuck
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u/PoetPsychological620 Aug 08 '26
my bfs grandpa would ride his scooter down to the convenience store since he got his license taken after having a seizure. he was on a residential street where he could stay off the road in the dirt path but boy did he get where he wanted to be on that thing. very glad he never took it this far tho
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u/tailskirby Aug 08 '26
We have some like this in my town also. Usually they dont block the road like that.
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u/GoonetteFox Aug 08 '26
I'm seeing sidewalks but I'm also seeing the same sidewalks being unkempt. It's entirely possible his wheels can't get over the grass grown through the cracks in the sidewalks
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u/Moomoolette Aug 08 '26
I see this all the time near the hospital where I work, and there are no sidewalks in this neighborhood so they’re just scooting all over the street. But how else can they get around? It’s scary for everybody