Nora Grace-Flood Photo
Kendall Cobb Wednesday with his wheels.
Light rain and a brief detour through Hamden Wednesday morning didn’t stop scooter-toting Kendall Cobb from making his way to Orange to get his computer fixed — while keeping his gas bill down.
Cobb was headed north from New Haven on Dixwell Avenue when he realized he was going the wrong way.
While turning around in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot to head in the other direction, he stopped to chat on the “Word on the Street” segment of WNHH FM’S“LoveBabz LoveTalk” program.
Cobb, a New Haven native, rode his 250cc scooter down Dixwell with his computer protected in a bag he wore around his chest.
He bought the scooter a year ago for a “good price” while in search of a small vehicle that’s also “good on gas.”
“I wanted something that wasn’t as bulky as a motorcycle,” he said.
Typically Cobb avoids riding on highways: “With the two-wheel, there’s more access to injury,” he said.
He makes an exception when visiting his girlfriend in Groton. When en route to see her, he hits the highway and goes full speed.
When riding longer distances, Cobb wears a helmet that he keeps strapped to the back of his scooter.
On Wednesday, Cobb just wore a baseball cap with the understanding that he was in no particular rush to meet his computer technician. Unlike when visiting his girlfriend, he’d be riding on slower and, he suggested, safer streets.
Although it was drizzling rain on Wednesday, Cobb wasn’t concerned about slippery roads or his scooter’s lack of shelter from the elements. But he said when the rain pours, he usually pulls over and waits it out.
Cobb has been working as a prep cook at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) during the academic season for the past 20 years. He shared that he’s thinking about moving into catering work.
While on break for the summer, Cobb sometimes gets behind bigger wheels: he makes use of his commercial driver’s license (CDL) to snag truck-transport gigs.
Nora Grace-Flood’s reporting is supported in part by a grant from Report for America.
Click on the video to watch the full conversation with Kendall Cobb on the “Word on the Street” segment of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk.”
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