Commuting Scooter
This isn't about George Bush and Lewis
Libby. It's about getting to work on two small wheels.
I have a rather short commute to work, roughly two
and a quarter miles. I usually drive, but it's short enough that I've walked it
many times, even in the winter, mainly to get some exercise while assuaging
enviro-guilt. But the hike takes nearly 40 minutes, while driving takes only
about ten (or more accurately, driving typically takes about five minutes, and
the walk from my car to my desk takes nearly five more). So time constraints
have been a big factor keeping me from walking to work very
often.
A couple years ago I started thinking about using a kick scooter to get to work. It would be faster than walking, but would still provide some exercise. Of course, a bicycle wouId be faster still, but I didn't think a two-mile bicycle ride would really be much exercise at all. Also, I imagined I could fold up a scooter and bring it right into the office, while a bike would have to be locked up outside.
I looked at a few Razor-like scooters from time to time, but I wasn't impressed with them. Then a few weeks ago my employer had a small energy fair at work, with a give-away of compact-fluorescent lights and several other conservation exhibits. Leaning against one table was a nicely-machined scooter that looked sturdier than others I'd seen. There wasn't anyone there to talk to, but a single page of information identified this device as a Xootr brand scooter. I did some research and found prices around $200, with overwhelmingly positive reviews.
I knew there was some risk that my commuting idea might not work out. Maybe the scooter wouldn't be so great after all. Maybe the hills here would make things impractically difficult. Maybe Minnesota weather would too often interfere. Maybe I'd be too lazy to use it often. Maybe a scooter just isn't an appropriate vehicle for a sleep-disordered klutz who's pushing 60. But before long, I set aside my doubts and ordered a Xootr (the Mg model, with magnesium deck).
Now, it was early November when I got the scooter, so daylight hours were already quite limited here in the subarctic latitudes. With sunset before 5:00 p.m., I had to shift my working hours a bit to be able to scooter home before dusk, and I had to leave the house by about 7:30 a.m., more than half an hour earlier than has been my recent practice. But I managed to get the early start last Monday to make my first scooter commute. I also made the trip by scooter on Tuesday and Thursday. (On Wednesday I drove because of other errands, and on Friday I just didn't get going promptly, ended up driving again, and took care of a couple more errands.)
The scooter trip really is fun -- especially downhill, of course. The interesting thing is that the commute seems to be mostly downhill both ways -- if I take different routes to and from work. Especially on the home-bound route, there are long downhill stretches, and just one major uphill part (a steep, unpaved, brushy path cutting through a park). In both directions, the steepest uphill parts are easier to do walking (or even carrying) the scooter, rather than kicking. The trip has been averaging about 25 minutes each way, a good compromise between driving and walking.
The reactions I get from people are also fun. There are few pedestrians in my suburban neighborhood this time of year, but the ones I've encountered mostly just smile nicely, as if pretending they think I'm sane. Drivers have been at least as accommodating as they usually are for pedestrians, though I've been a bit concerned about being a distraction. I'm sure that when I'm coasting, many people just assume the scooter is somehow motorized.
Despite temperatures in the 30s and 40s, I've had more trouble keeping cool than keeping warm, so I'll need to pace myself a bit better, and remember not to overdress. I really don't think cold temperatures alone will often prevent me from using the scooter, but I won't be trying it when there is ice or snow on the pavement, which could be any day now. Daylight limitations will also get worse before they get better, with sunset less than 9 hours after sunrise by the fifth of December. The daylight situation will improve in January, and the temperatures will improve in February, so precipitation should be the main concern by March. I'm hoping that in any month, I'll be able to scooter at least as often as I've been blogging!
A couple years ago I started thinking about using a kick scooter to get to work. It would be faster than walking, but would still provide some exercise. Of course, a bicycle wouId be faster still, but I didn't think a two-mile bicycle ride would really be much exercise at all. Also, I imagined I could fold up a scooter and bring it right into the office, while a bike would have to be locked up outside.
I looked at a few Razor-like scooters from time to time, but I wasn't impressed with them. Then a few weeks ago my employer had a small energy fair at work, with a give-away of compact-fluorescent lights and several other conservation exhibits. Leaning against one table was a nicely-machined scooter that looked sturdier than others I'd seen. There wasn't anyone there to talk to, but a single page of information identified this device as a Xootr brand scooter. I did some research and found prices around $200, with overwhelmingly positive reviews.
I knew there was some risk that my commuting idea might not work out. Maybe the scooter wouldn't be so great after all. Maybe the hills here would make things impractically difficult. Maybe Minnesota weather would too often interfere. Maybe I'd be too lazy to use it often. Maybe a scooter just isn't an appropriate vehicle for a sleep-disordered klutz who's pushing 60. But before long, I set aside my doubts and ordered a Xootr (the Mg model, with magnesium deck).
Now, it was early November when I got the scooter, so daylight hours were already quite limited here in the subarctic latitudes. With sunset before 5:00 p.m., I had to shift my working hours a bit to be able to scooter home before dusk, and I had to leave the house by about 7:30 a.m., more than half an hour earlier than has been my recent practice. But I managed to get the early start last Monday to make my first scooter commute. I also made the trip by scooter on Tuesday and Thursday. (On Wednesday I drove because of other errands, and on Friday I just didn't get going promptly, ended up driving again, and took care of a couple more errands.)
The scooter trip really is fun -- especially downhill, of course. The interesting thing is that the commute seems to be mostly downhill both ways -- if I take different routes to and from work. Especially on the home-bound route, there are long downhill stretches, and just one major uphill part (a steep, unpaved, brushy path cutting through a park). In both directions, the steepest uphill parts are easier to do walking (or even carrying) the scooter, rather than kicking. The trip has been averaging about 25 minutes each way, a good compromise between driving and walking.
The reactions I get from people are also fun. There are few pedestrians in my suburban neighborhood this time of year, but the ones I've encountered mostly just smile nicely, as if pretending they think I'm sane. Drivers have been at least as accommodating as they usually are for pedestrians, though I've been a bit concerned about being a distraction. I'm sure that when I'm coasting, many people just assume the scooter is somehow motorized.
Despite temperatures in the 30s and 40s, I've had more trouble keeping cool than keeping warm, so I'll need to pace myself a bit better, and remember not to overdress. I really don't think cold temperatures alone will often prevent me from using the scooter, but I won't be trying it when there is ice or snow on the pavement, which could be any day now. Daylight limitations will also get worse before they get better, with sunset less than 9 hours after sunrise by the fifth of December. The daylight situation will improve in January, and the temperatures will improve in February, so precipitation should be the main concern by March. I'm hoping that in any month, I'll be able to scooter at least as often as I've been blogging!
Posted: Sun - November 18, 2007 at 02:38 PM by email
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Published On: Nov 18, 2007 02:44 PM
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Published On: Nov 18, 2007 02:44 PM