Why??

One of my pet peeves is poor design, and I just have to tell you about one heck of a poor design that I encountered two days ago.

It was snowing here in the wonderful town of Eskilstuna and even if the town is excellent in almost every way plowing the streets is an area where the town falls short. That is not the design I was talking about, it isn't a design at all. The poor design was on a zimmer frame (aka rollator här i sverige). The zimmer frame was equipped with mudguards (stänkskärmar). Now why in hell would a zimmer frame need mudguards? I have seldom seen old folks running along in such high speeds that muddy water splash up from the wheels of their zimmer frames. If they did, I hardly think they need the device in the first place. Anyhow, the poor design was not just the fact that the zimmer frame was equipped with devices that was totally unnecessary. The poor design was that in this climate, in this town where plowing the streets just does not happen, snow piles up between the wheel and mudguard and acts as a very effective break. It was freaking hilarious to watch the old man trying to get home with a fucked up zimmer frame, he looked so incredibly helpless. Then I saw his wife and thought 'why the hell are you trying to get home, run away damn it' but of course he couldn't. He was stuck right where he was. Poor fella.