Saint John Police to spend $13,000 on a T3 personal mobility vehicle?
Here is a strange story that I read today.
The Saint John Police are spending $13,000 on a T3 personal mobility vehicle. This is a three-wheeled electric vehicle. The device can travel at speeds up to 40 km/h and has a siren and high beams.
What gets me is the following:
The T3 will allow police to quickly and easily manoeuvre through crowds and hard-to-reach parts of the city, Hanley said.
“It just allows our officers to get from point A to point B quicker,” Hanley said. “If he’s running, he’d be tired when he got there. This will allow him to save his energy. Plus it’s a green vehicle.”
The device will likely be used in the Harbour Passage area along the Saint John waterfront and at parades and other community events, Hanley said.
“We’ve had some robberies there, some people have been beaten up along here, so this allows an officer get along through here,” Hanley said. “It can get in and out of traffic and crowds easy, and we’re looking forward to purchasing more of them.”
Police are undergoing training now to drive the vehicle, he said, and it will begin to be used in the summer.
What I would like to know is - wouldn’t a bicycle work?
They are: fuel-efficient, cost effective, and they don’t require any training!
Heck, it’s even good exercise, and it would keep our officers in great shape.
I could see upwards of $1,500 for a bicycle; but, that’s really pushing it. $13,000 for this vehicle seems like an awful lot to spend.
Is it worth it? Well, I’d like to hear more.
Call me crazy; but, I can’t be the only one thinking this!
Posted in News, Saint John |
May 15th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Not at all. It makes sense in a place like the Saint John municipality that is strapped for cash on an annual basis.
Not to mention, we have far too many NBers who engage in motor sports in the rural and urban areas. We need more organizations promoting a better lifestyle by running, biking, skating, etc. We didn’t get to be one of the worst provinces health wise by chance, it’s the way we live (and the lifestyle choices we make) compared to healthier areas and provinces like BC, Alberta and Quebec.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
There is a serious rumour making the rounds that Ivan Court is trying to figure out a way to pick a Deputy Mayor other than Stephen Chase…
May 15th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
A little off topic, but that is very serious indeed.
I have actually heard the same thing from multiple people.
I believe, as the previous Council had voted prior to the election, that the person with the most votes should be Deputy Mayor.
Anything else is completely unacceptable to me.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
It’s pretty ambitious thinking, but if he wants to select the Ward councilor who received the biggest share of the vote in an individual, the Deputy Mayor would be Bruce Court …
May 16th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Well, I tend to agree we could (and should!) put an awful lot more police on bicycles for a lot less money, but there are some benefits that come with these little tricycles with motors.
These critters actually give the officer a bit more sight than if they are hunched over on a bike (officers will be about a foot higher, like standing on a motorized soap box!), so theoretically, they can see things happening farther away and see across a crowd when they arrive at a scene.
The downside is that they are a motorized device that takes them away from getting a little exercise once in a while and costs much more than bicycles.
What I want to know is where the opening is on it for storing their Tim Horton’s goodies while they are out joyriding in it…