Be it for pleasure or a commute, Palma is an easy city to walk around, especially the centre, not to mention that for the best part of the year, it’s neither raining nor Northern Europe cold, so what’s the story with all these electric scooters.
I have complained in the past about, despite the so-called rules and regulations, electric scooter riders being a serious danger to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles, I think there may well be a much deeper issue to look at. Health.
A recent report has revealed that in Spain, 39.3% of 25-64-year-olds are overweight, with obesity rates at 21.6%.
Researchers in that study warned that the increases will take Spain’s overweight population to 27 million.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), obesity has almost tripled since 1975.
And what worries me is that with people of all ages, especially children, using electric scooters, the further lack of exercise will only push these figures up.
I was talking to a doctor the other day and he could not stress enough the importance and healthy benefit of walking every day. There are plenty who head to the gym, the pool, cycle, jog or enjoying other regular forms of exercise, but regular walking is the easiest way of keeping fit and burning those calories off but hopping on the e-scooter to head to work or simply pop out may be an easy option, but what about the long term implications?