Nova Scotia man ticketed for driving cooler

http://www.thepassinglane.ca/2010/07/not-cool-man-ticketed-for-driving-motorized-cooler.html

As we head into the dog days of summer, we all want to stay cool behind the wheel. But apparently one Nova Scotia man has clearly taken this motoring mindset to an ice-cold extreme.

Neil Rideout of New Waterford, N.S. is currently fighting a traffic ticket issued last summer for operating a vehicle on the sidewalk. The set of wheels in question: a motorized cooler.

Rideout, who is chairman of a video conferencing company, purchased the cooler contraption at a sportsman’ show in the U.S. As for the reason he wanted to commute by cooler rather than car, Rideout says he wanted to be environmentally-responsible by reducing his greenhouse gas emissions.

The somewhat ironically-named Rideout has apparently done his homework vis-a-vis the green benefits of piloting a Cooler-Mobile.

“The [motorized] cooler emits less than 5% of CO2 pollutants, compared to what my [car] does,” Rideout boasts.

If anything, Rideout travels in style when perched atop the sort of vehicle Mr. Freeze would drool over. The cooler is equipped with cup holders, an AM/FM radio and even a connection for an MP3 player.

Clearly, this isn’t your grandfather’s cooler.

As well, Rideout had his cooler “pimped” for better performance. The engine for this icebox-on-wheels originally had one solitary horsepower, enabling it to travel just 1 km/h. Such a wimpy powerplant prompted Rideout to have the cooler modified at a fabrication shop. Now, this baby boasts a turbocharged 5.5-horsepower motor, enabling it to hit a speed of 50 km/h. (Um … what happened to the environment angle?)
Prior to being ticketed, Rideout says he was stopped by police twice. One cop told him he had to wear a helmet; a second officer told him to stay on the sidewalk.

However, when commuting along a sidewalk last July, Rideout was issued a ticket for $222.

Staff Sgt. Walter Rutherford confirms Rideout was charged for riding a motorized vehicle on a sidewalk. The only vehicles permitted to drive on sidewalks are motorized wheelchairs or motorized scooters used by those with disabilities. Maybe if Rideout was handicapped he could’ve gotten away with riding his motorized cooler. Maybe.

Alas, Rideout is hot under the collar about his cooler being sidelined and he vows to fight the ticket in court.

“I was only trying to do the right thing by reducing greenhouse gases,” he says. “I feel police should be going after criminals, not coolers.”

Alas, while going green remains fashionable these days, methinks Rideout can count on an icy reception in a court of law.

I can totally see that happening in Nova Scotia!!!