A letter in Grey Power magazine (September 2025) regarding hidden dangers in electronic doors, prompted me to share the following incident involving a TravelScoot ridden by an older gentleman.
Last year he informed me that he had tipped over on the scooter and broken his hip. I looked at the incident area on Google Street
View and couldn’t understand how the accident could have occurred.
On visiting the site, I took photos. On the face of it, the area looks innocuous, but once there I realised that the pavement to the right side was slightly higher than on the left which caused the scooter to tip.
Typically, the change in level could be seen as of no consequence. Many Auckland footpaths are a disgrace, but I viewed this one as certainly no worse than other poorly maintained footpaths.
I concluded that because the gentleman was tall and the width of the TravelScoot is narrow, his centre of gravity was high making him inherently unstable, and the slightest sideways slope was enough to cause the scooter to tip over.
TravelScoots are popular especially with cruise ship passengers because they are light and very transportable. They are also practical for easy carriage in family cars.
Unfortunately, that seemingly innocuous incident did not end well. The gentleman concerned developed complications, apparently unrelated to his initial hip fracture – urinary infection, sepsis, and fluid accumulation on the heart and lungs.
He died several months later. It may be that all this stemmed from his hip fracture, but his death will not be recorded as being initiated from an accident on the footpath, unlike those involving a vehicle on the road. It’s time our councils ensured all footpaths were safe for both pedestrians and mobility vehicles.
- Vivian Naylor, Committee member, Grey Power Auckland, Barrier Free Advisor & Educator, CCS Disability Action, Northern Region