I owe it to the faint of heart and to the slightly nervous among you, I owe it to you all...
- Mobs of kids may heckle you. Yes, kids can say and do the cruelest things. What's more, they're some of the most susceptible groups to mob mentality, and if one 'cool' little squirt decides you're a dork, all the others will laugh and chyme in. Remember, though, they're all about to enter into the spotty, awkward teenage years, and heckles are much less offensive when the heckler's voice cracks as he calls you a loser.
- Bus stops are an unexpected trap. If this was your driving test's hazard awareness section, bus stops would be the child running after a ball in the street. It is a lottery whether there is a pedestrian in there, and when they come out, they tend to do it like ninjas with their backs to you.
- Bus tango. When buses pull over into bus stops as you approach, there are a few pretty solid traps to avoid. If a person is stood waiting to get on, they WILL take a step back first as the bus stops, before getting on it. It's a cosmic force or something, but it's drfinitely a thing. So try to give them a wide birth. The second thing is that people who get off the bus don't tend to look both ways like they're crossing a road, because they don't expect you there. So they will just emerge in front of you and saunter without looking back, so give them a wide birth too. Or slow down. Or stop and walk your scooter, glaring at them.
- Tall kerbs. Both times I was nearly launched myself off my scooter, there was a person there, looking. Both times saw me shoot towards a slightly raised kerb or manhole cover, see it last second and just as the front wheel hit the edge, I would do what I call the fall-off-kind-of-and-run-a-bit-with-scooter-awkwardly. It's a bit embarrassing, but just scoot on without looking back until you're an awesome speck in the distance. They are easy to miss, but just keep your eye on your terrain.
- People can hear you. Much like you may do in a car, only to later notice that the windows are all down, you might comment or make noises that you may usually avoid if you are acutely aware you are in public. On the scooter, these might include sighing, grunting and sputtering as you tackle slight inclines, commenting on how such a small person can take up the entire pavement, singing along to your music, etc. You may think you're gone in such a flash that no one will hear you, but don't be fooled, people will stare even more if you're belting out "I'm bringing scooty back, go 'head and tell them walkin' b*tches that" as you glide along next to them.
Now that the warnings are in place, I feel I should reiterate the points, that it is fast and good for you and free and fun and that everyone should try it!
Scoot responsibly!
