Macomb Man Uses a Different Set of Wheels for Daily Ride
Jeff Colbert travels about 500 miles a year to and from his job at McDonough District Hospital; however, he's not feeling the pinch at the pump like most Americans. That's because the 64-year-old's four-wheeled vehicle is an electric longboard, a longer, wider version of a skateboard. You may have seen him riding his mile-long route on Dudley Street, where his top speed reaches 21 miles per hour.
“I live by the Presbyterian Church, so it's pretty much a straight shot down Dudley,” Colbert said, pointing to his longboard. “Since I have this, we only do, like, 3,000 miles a year in our car. It's just basically around town most of the time, and then an occasional little jaunt elsewhere.'
Colbert has been riding his longboard to work since he moved to Macomb and became the Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) administrator at McDonough District Hospital in 2014. PACS is the computer system that records and saves digital X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans and other imaging procedures.
Traveling on Four Small Wheels Colbert began skateboarding in the mid-1970s, when he was about 12 years old. His riding days ended when he entered the Air Force in 1982. After he left the military in 1995, he took up two-wheeled transportation.
