10.10.06
Riding the Scooter on the Highway
My team leader, Jason, graciously is letting me use his scooter while he is away in the states. Scooters are a very popular mode of transportation here. Parking is always free, and I paid €?3 in gas last month. It’s a good deal.
Today, I took the bold step of deciding to take the scooter to some slightly out-of-town stores. I needed to return some things, and since each stop would only take a few minutes, I really didn’t feel like waiting on the out-of-town buses. So I hopped on the scooter and off I went.
I wasn’t exactly on a highway. In Italian it would be called a secondary, out-of-town road. It was legal for me to be on it, but man were those cars passing me in a hurry. The top speed of the scooter is about 60 KMH (37 MPH) on a flat road, and it just couldn’t keep up. I especially liked it when the truck passed me in my lane while we were on an overpass. I kind of peeked over and thought, “I’m just one pothole away from flying off the overpass.”
Next time, I’m taking the bus.
Jason Fry said,
10.11.06 at 7:47 am
Man, you’re brave. Just about everyone hear uses two-wheeled transportation of one kind or another, but I haven’t worked up the courage to try it yet. I have the license, just not the guts.