Moncton’s Gaston Daigle, whose disability leaves him unable to drive, has found a unique way to hit the open road with his faithful, furry companion, Smurf.
“People will literally slow down next to me, roll down their windows and talk to me while they drive,” Daigle told Global News.
Daigle has an eye condition called congenital stationary night blindness that prevents him from owning a car.
But rather than depend on family and friends, he decided he’d build his own ride.
“I have an eyesight problem that I can’t drive at night so I have never had a vehicle so I have always used bicycles to get around,” he said.
He says he got the idea to build his “Smurfmobile” purely out of guilt.
“The guilt of leaving your dog at home when you want to go somewhere, it’s the worst thing ever,” Daigle said.
“You know, Smurf is a very social animal and I like to bring him everywhere I go and you don’t feel guilty.”
Daigle used mostly recycled materials laying around his home-based bicycle shop to build the cart, which even has a canopy to shelter Smurf from the sun.
Propped in the back, Smurf enjoys the wind on his face as the two ride around the city, turning heads wherever they go.
“This particular trike is equipped with an electric motor and a battery so I can pedal all I want, but when the going gets tough I can just apply a bit more power and go wherever I want to go,” Daigle said.
Daigle’s friend, Edward Dingle, who helped perfect the homemade “Smurfmobile” says the idea is ingenious – giving Daigle his independence and keeping Smurf’s dog hair out of Dingle’s car.
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