Why the debate?
Answering which mode of transportation is better, scooters or skateboards, is an ongoing debate. At Grand Canyon University, students mainly travel campus in three ways: by scooter, by skateboard, or by walking. Yes, there are the occasional bicycle riders and roller skate enthusiasts, but walking, skateboarding, or scootering are the three main ones. However, since walking is the cheapest form of transportation (being that it costs you nothing more than the energy to move your legs), I’m going to discuss whether electric scooters or regular skateboards are better. I own an electric scooter, but my roommate owns a skateboard. Given the fact that we each own one of the two, I will be providing my opinion of the pros of owning a scooter, as well as representing the pros my roommate has regarding owning a skateboard.
The Case for Skateboards
We’ll start with the pros of owning a skateboard to kick things off. First off, while we’re on the topic of kicking things off, skateboards can be a fun way to stay active as you use your feet to kick off and propel yourself forward. For those individuals who aren’t using a remote-controlled board, using your feet is the only way to move. The speed of the skateboard relies solely on the rider. As such, the more effort you put into propelling the board forward, the more of a workout you experience. Secondly, a skateboard is a LOT easier to carry around than a scooter. Small elevator? No problem, you can just pick your board up and hold it in front of you. Walking up the stairs? No sweat. Chances are the board is light enough to carry up a flight of stairs without wearing you out. Scooters are often way too heavy and spacious to do either of those things as easily. Thirdly, you get the chance to embrace the skater aesthetic. There’s a reason the song “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne is so popular. The skater aesthetic consists of baggy clothes, vans, and a beanie: an overall iconic look to rock. By owning a scooter, whether you dress like it or not, you can identify with the skater aesthetic. It’s not like Avril Lavigne is making a song about scooter girls anytime soon.
The Case for Scooters
Now on to the scooters, the electric type specifically. One of the first things I see as a pro of owning a scooter is the difference in speed. My scooter, at top speed, can reach 18 miles per hour. My roommate, moving her skateboard quickly, can get up to about 10 miles per hour. With that in mind, a pro of scooters is that they are a lot faster. To go quicker I only have to push my thumb against a button, in comparison to my roommate who has to kick against the ground and use up some of her energy only to get a little over half the speed my scooter can get. Secondly, it’s a lot harder to crash and fall on a scooter. Because an electric scooter is often heavier and larger than a skateboard, it can easily go over bumps, hills, pebbles, etc. I can’t count the number of times I’ve ridden over a reflective pavement marker (the small colored bumps on the road) and not even flinched. You never see someone wipe out on a scooter, but you see people on skateboards fall all the time. Finally, by riding a scooter, you’re saving yourself some energy. Picture this: you’ve been in classes all day. You’ve had a break or two, but for the most part, you’ve been going from lecture to lecture as the day went on. The last thing you’ll want to do after getting out of class is to walk any long distance back to your apartment or dorm. The electric scooter does all the work for you so you can get some rest.
Final Thoughts
I will admit I am a little biased toward scooters since I own an electric one. However, I also don’t own a skateboard because I frankly don’t know how to ride one and am too scared to learn. What it really boils down to is: would you rather be called a “campus menace” for speeding on a scooter, or run the risk of eating pavement on a skateboard? And if this article didn’t convince you of either skateboards or scooters, you can always just settle on a pair of roller skates and call it a day.