Not handicapped, just lazy: Young adults in China commute in power wheelchairs to skirt...

[Shawn Knight]

Facepalm: Young people in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou have found a clever loophole to get around local e-bike regulations. In lieu of two-wheeled transportation, some commuters are now driving power wheelchairs to work.

According to a report from The Straits Times, recent e-bike regulations have restricted their operating speeds and require users to dismount and push their bike across striped road crossings. Electric wheelchairs are not subject to such regulations, nor are they governed by conventional vehicle / traffic laws. This means you won't get stuck in traffic in a wheelchair, nor will you have to pay for registration.

One wheelchair driver described the workaround as "flexible" and touted being able to drive directly to their destination without having to find a parking spot. Indeed, one could drive right up to their desk and even discard their office chair. Others have expressed concern regarding safety on sidewalks from inexperienced drivers.

One Weibo user conceded that it looks convenient, and that "young people do know how to play." Lawyers in the region said it wasn't illegal but highlighted moral issues attached to the use of power wheelchairs by healthy young people.

The publication noted a 60 percent increase in the sale of electric wheelchairs in the region in the first half of 2023. The most popular models cost around $420, the paper added.

Most e-bikes have higher top speeds than power wheelchairs, but being able to travel through restricted areas and not having to hop off to cross the street could even the playing field. A chair would also be more comfortable than a bike, so there's that.

Related reading: PC company Acer just unveiled an AI-packed, 35-pound e-bike

Electric scooters have faced similar backlash in the US and abroad. Several cities have implemented regulations on scooter rentals in an effort to cater to pedestrians' concerns. Scooter maker Bird even tested models that sounded alarms and would automatically stop if a user rode on sidewalks. Residents in Paris earlier this year voted to ban e-scooter rentals outright.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/99403-not-handicapped-lazy-young-adults-china-commute-power.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Next up, motorized beds so they don't even have to get up to travel ......

 

[WhiteLeaff]

That's why they have stick legs, it makes sense

 

[MyIOnU]

In America, not handicapped, just lazy and fat.

 

[3volv3d]

E bikes and scooters in UK aren't regulated. Should have a driving license / CBT.
Already deaths, media blaming police for parents mistakes.
People are so lazy these days.
Technology eh? Two steps forward, and one semi truck back- ing over people sending them to a better place.

But id rather wait for the official MarvelCX models.

 

[Kinemon]

The kids are souping them up too. You will look like a jerk but imagine being able to take them on the highway. You don't need to find a parking spot either, you can drive it inside too.

 

[mbk34]

The kids are souping them up too. You will look like a jerk but imagine being able to take them on the highway. You don't need to find a parking spot either, you can drive it inside too.

I use an electric unicycle in London, it's a wheel with 2 footplates, a motor and battery. It's actually a fairly effective form of transport within cities and just turns into powered luggage when the footplates are folded up and the handle extended. It has a range of about 50 miles, a top speed of 40mph with someone else riding and about 30mph when I'm on board. There's only a few downsides: it's kind of tough to learn, it's illegal on the roads here and it's definitely not for the safety conscious. On the plus side (I think) it's cool as hell and it only costs about 20c to recharge.

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

WALL-E is coming...

 

[toooooot]

In America, not handicapped, just lazy and fat.

I see it as a bigger problem.
People find ways to deal with problems they do not want or cannot solve.
Not in the good ways, I mean like drugs, radical politics, and last but not the least food.
Food must have a big power if it can make someone eat themselves into a 400 pound monstrosity and then possibly painful death.
People are fat because taking charge and solving their problems takes a lot of strength, doing nothing and eating does not.

 

[RudyBob]

I love ingenuity

 

[kiwigraeme]

I use an electric unicycle in London, it's a wheel with 2 footplates, a motor and battery. It's actually a fairly effective form of transport within cities and just turns into powered luggage when the footplates are folded up and the handle extended. It has a range of about 50 miles, a top speed of 40mph with someone else riding and about 30mph when I'm on board. There's only a few downsides: it's kind of tough to learn, it's illegal on the roads here and it's definitely not for the safety conscious. On the plus side (I think) it's cool as hell and it only costs about 20c to recharge.

Still with us? - not base jumping I suppose
Lived in London on and off for 5 years - last time their stayed with an Ex. and had a daily game - how many red busses I could pass from Lewisham to the centre by cycling

 

[human7]

This is what happens when cities pass over-bearing legislation. Requiring people to hop off at every intersection, adding registration fees, and so on are great ways to discourage very environmentally friendly and popular modes of transportation.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

Call me superstition but being healthy myself I don't feel comfortable in a wheelchair if I don't need to use it and hope I don't ever need one, and second CCP being CCP they'll probably in the future may require users to have a hang tag on the wheelchair from the Doctor.

 

[rmcrys]

E bikes and scooters in UK aren't regulated. Should have a driving license / CBT.
Already deaths, media blaming police for parents mistakes.
People are so lazy these days.
Technology eh? Two steps forward, and one semi truck back- ing over people sending them to a better place.

The only to blame are the politicians and the general person that doesn't demand good laws, just want to complain.

If there are regulations, that only handicapped persons are allowed to buy and use those wheelchairs, then that's it; them the police takes care the rest.

The same with electric vehicles like e bikes / e scooters, if mayors reserve some streets or ways for those vehicles, then you have no issues (= Germany, Netherlands Spain, starting in Portugal... etc)

 

[NumberSix]

Handicapped? Blimey, welcome to 1974.

 

[mountains]

The real issue is cities were not designed for e-anything. They were designed for humans, then horses, then trains and cars. They are barely able to retrofit to normal bicycles. Ideally, cities would be re-engineered with separate routing for the different speeds and modes of modern transport - walking, skateboarding/roller/inline skating, biking, e-everything, cars (human and AI driven), AI guided deliveries... many of which are still constantly changing.

But good planning is not practical as a short term fix or until the next war makes us start over. So what we are stuck with is trying to implement sensible laws. And having people driving powered wheel chairs to skirt regulation suggests practical laws are failing, too.

And eventually, localized air traffic will be more prevalent. We need to be pre-thinking that, as well. We will need to rethink urban/suburban rooftops for transport and deliveries. Besides solar, they will need heliports, maybe water catchment, greenhouses and container gardening, composting. And rooftop security.

 

[ddferrari]

In America, not handicapped, just lazy and fat.

Yep! If I see one more person waddle out of a handicapped parking space from their giant minivan with a bag of burgers and fries, plus the 64 ounce sugar-laden soft drink in hand, I'll lose it.