Assaulted by car passengers while riding

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 3:10 am

scootergirl_atx wrote:
Some people hate us.
I know this is true and I do not understand why. I rode a Vespa when I lived in Phoenix and got the point and stare a lot. Now I live in Austin and there are scooters EVERYWHERE. I feel a lot better riding here than I did in Phx and that's a shame...you should be able to ride safely without paranoia no matter where you live.

There are a lot of cultural and other differences between Austin and Phoenix and I think some of that applies to attitudes about personal transportation. I don't think it's a stretch to say that people in Austin are probably a lot more open minded about scooters and even to some degree appreciative of people using alternative forms of transportation.

Syd · Post by **Syd** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 6:55 am

ericalm wrote:
scootergirl_atx wrote:
Some people hate us.
I know this is true and I do not understand why. I rode a Vespa when I lived in Phoenix and got the point and stare a lot. Now I live in Austin and there are scooters EVERYWHERE. I feel a lot better riding here than I did in Phx and that's a shame...you should be able to ride safely without paranoia no matter where you live.
There are a lot of cultural and other differences between Austin and Phoenix and I think some of that applies to attitudes about personal transportation. I don't think it's a stretch to say that people in Austin are probably a lot more open minded about scooters and even to some degree appreciative of people using alternative forms of transportation.

Them's fightin' words there, Buddy (even if I don't completely disagree).

Phoenix, like the LA it swears it doesn't want to become, is just too spread out to embrace lower speed transportation of any kind. But if you narrow your focus somewhat, to individual suburbs, or if you remove the divided highways from the equation and that attitude changes. Some other Valley residents will disagree, but I have never been threatened, or forced off the road. Ignored or not seen from not looking, sure, but nothing intentional.

BootScootin'FireFighter · Thu Nov 17, 2011 2:29 pm

ericalm wrote:There are a lot of cultural and other differences between Austin and Phoenix and I think some of that applies to attitudes about personal transportation. I don't think it's a stretch to say that people in Austin are probably a lot more open minded about scooters and even to some degree appreciative of people using alternative forms of transportation.

Another example of that dynamic that I see is my parents P/T (soon to be F/T) house in Celebration, FL. That's the isolated planned community just outside of Disney's property. There are open cab NEVs all over town, and bicycles flourish! Downtown is always full of the NEVs and bicycles. There are still mostly gas cars, but people actually drive less then the speed limit and come to a complete stop at stop signs. It's a complete 180 from everywhere outside "the compound", especially US-192, which is how you access the community. Once you leave, you're back in the epitomy of suburbia. And 192 is about as aweful as it gets.

teabow1 · Post by **teabow1** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:22 pm

What is NEV? And while we're at it, what is NMBR?

heatherkay · Post by **heatherkay** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 4:01 pm

NEV = No-emission vehicle (that is, a golf cart)
NMBR = Not "Modern Buddy"-related (see also "not scooter-related" [NSR], "somewhat scooter-related" [SSR], and "not Buddy-related" [NBR])

slusher5 · Post by **slusher5** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 4:48 pm

Holy s--- that gave me chills reading.. glad you're still in one piece. I can't believe what I just read. From what I read you gave them a license plate # and the cops did nothing? that's about as worse as what the creeps in the car did

You were right for doing nothing.. If they were stupid enough to try and push you off, then they probably would of tried to run you over had you retaliated