The 3 Types of Electric Scooter Riders on Campus
By Avery Thunder
You're walking on campus, it’s impossible not to notice the number of electric scooters. I’ve been to other colleges, and I really can’t say that this is a universal epidemic. Maybe it’s due to the number of free scooters handed out to student athletes at USC, but it is remarkable to see the sheer quantity on a campus that isn’t even half a square mile. So, since there are so many, here’s a little breakdown of the different types of scooter riders you may see around campus.
The One who Needs to be Banned
Picture this: you are walking to class, taking in the beautiful sights of campus, waving at the squirrels, and you suddenly hear a quiet, foreboding whirring sound behind you – and then the whirring sound grows louder and louder. You are suddenly very aware that a scooter is coming up right behind you. In an attempt to preserve your personal welfare, you continue walking in a straight line, trying not to move too quickly, as these scooters are like bees, and if you move or stop too suddenly, they may become startled and run into you. The scooter flies by, you feel the wind from it like a semi-truck passing you on the freeway, and you breathe a sigh of relief. You have lived to fear for your safety another day.
Now, I don’t think that all scooter riders are reckless people who don’t care about pedestrians, but let’s face it – a lot of them are. USC is a shockingly small campus. But this doesn’t stop people from zooming around during the most crowded periods. Not only is this dangerous for people who walk, but motorized vehicles are potential disasters for bikers and skaters who are at a greater risk of getting knocked off of whatever they’re riding. This is usually exacerbated by a complete disregard for non-scooter areas, like the village. The village is tiny and incredibly crowded – you can get off your scooter and walk it for the three minutes it takes to get from Starbucks to Dulce.
2. The Overly Cautious One
On the other side of the spectrum, you have people who insist on riding their scooters on campus but just refuse to pass you and follow behind you ominously, like some kind of stalker on wheels. This person is not necessarily reckless, but I think it can be argued that they’re just as dangerous, in the same way an overly cautious driver is problematic because they don’t take their right of way. This person often freezes when they come face-to-face with another scooter, which results in a solid couple of seconds where neither of them makes a move, and then everyone who’s walking has to watch as they have this awful little standoff. You can almost hear the theme music from “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” start to play in the background. It results in a lot of low-speed crashes, which would be a little funny if they didn’t actually hurt.
I would say that I slightly prefer this scooter driver to the former because they at least keep their distance; they don’t zoom so close to you that it significantly increases your heart rate. And I at least have a decent chance of getting out of the way when it comes to these slower riders. However, I can’t speak for those who ride non-motorized vehicles around campus.
3. The Ideal One
Lastly, and probably least likely, you have the champion of safety. The scooter rider who doesn’t ride during the stampede of passing period, who rides to school and then has the strength and willpower to simply walk on our 226 acre campus. This person is safer. They don’t feel that they should have the right to do anything because they’re on a scooter. They use bike lanes when on the sidewalk and stay out of places that have giant “no scooters” signs. The true proprietor of public health and safety.
But, in all seriousness – and since I’m nothing if not a complete and total hypocrite – I have ridden a scooter on a sidewalk multiple times, so I’m not one to judge. Truly, I do think that scooters can be a terrifying experience for people who walk on campus, especially because there are zero rules around who can ride them and how fast they can go. And any rules that do actually exist are not enforced. I don’t think I would necessarily disagree with people riding them on campus if they were less reckless, but they are, and this results in a fear that all scooter riders are incompetent and going to hit you. I’ve seen multiple crashes between these vehicles and bikes or skateboards. Not only can this hurt people who are riding them, but it can hurt people who are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, as many of these collisions happen during passing periods. Like with most things, life runs more smoothly when we aren’t selfish and consider other people. Try to instill that USC community spirit for everything!
