JeremyLC

This not a bicycle, it should NOT be locked to the (admittedly crummy) bike rack!


This is not a bicycle either!


Saw these just after lunch, busted out a camera and forwarded pictures over to campus police and parking enforcement. (there are special motorcycle tags required to park on campus) It's especially dumb if you consider that the official motorcycle (and moped) parking is on-street next to the building these are parked by.

mikepwagner

What size is the engine? It may (legally) be a bicycle - like a moped.

I think that there is some limit on displacement and or top speed under which these things are not considered motor vehicles.

I am curious as to what the PD will say.

NukeouT

Whatever.

I would always rather get into an accident with one of those than a car. Their use of bike racks just increases demand for more racks in the area.

ryanwood

I work on a college campus and those scooters are everywhere, and they all park at bike racks. It is a serious problem because there are literally no other places to install bike racks, but they don't even bother locking them because they require ignition keys so I occasionally move one of them out of my way so I can lock my bike. The police have promised that they will begin issuing parking tickets to kids who park their scooters illegally.

Koa C.

I get buzzed by one of those at least once a day while riding. It's one thing to use our bike racks but when they start using our bike lanes that really gets annoying. Plus they usually cut by me really close with no warning other than the noise of their engines. I can't tell if they are coming in the bike lane behind me or in the traffic next to me so it's always a surprise pass by these guys. And to top it all off the exhaust from these things are terrible.

billyymc

Under 50cc in NY. I wouldn't lock my scooter to a bike rack, but I wouldn't really care if someone did unless it was causing some sort of problem for cyclists.

SouthFLpix

I saw one crossing a pedestrian overpass today. It's illegal to drive on pedestrian overpasses and sidewalks in my area with motor vehicles. Pissed me off.

dunnenick

Under 50 in CA and WA is technically a bike, and they can use the bike lane...as far as I know. I have a 250cc Vespa, so I had to get the license.

mr,grumpy 

Slow day in TX? Do you really care about those scooters? People on two wheels, reducing their carbon footprint, all that jazz.

BassNotBass

Scooters and mopeds with engines less than 50cc are normally exempt from motor vehicle licensing requirements but in my state they are NOT the same as bicycles and are prohibited on paths and in bike lanes just like all other motorized vehicles.

dcrowell

Strangely enough my workplace has scooter parking. When the bike rack gets full (rare) I'll sometimes see bikes locked to the scooter parking.
<shrug> I'm glad I park in my office.

Surrealdeal

I saw some jackwad riding one of those things (Like the one in the second photo) on a MUP the other day.

BassNotBass

Where would that be? We should be getting bike racks here pretty soon but then I've been riding mostly my folder and parking it under my desk these past few months.

Alistair92

Have no idea what you're talking about, that clearly looks like a bike

Novakane 

I got buzzed by one of these going well over 30km/hr on the MUP in Ottawa (I was going 30km/hr, he blew by me like I was barely moving). While I do understand that it's technically a more green form of single person transportation, and the one I saw was an electric scooter... It does not belong in bicycle lanes or on bike paths.
In particular the MUP's in the area have a 20km speed limit - yes, I was 10 over, but I drop in speed whenever I start to approach other users of the path, and quite frankly my average speed is around 18km and I like to coast a lot. Going 30km is a rarity.

Zooming along at twice the posted limit on a near-silent motorized machine in an area designated for (and populated with) cyclists, roller-bladers, pedestrians, senior citizens with walkers, etc. is the same as taking a motorcycle down these paths IMHO. I have seen the occasional gas powered scooter on these paths too and that just offends me beyond words when I have to deal with motorized-noisy-smelly-traffic on a path I was taking to avoid riding along with just that.

At the same time, those vehicles are nearly as easy to steal as a bicycle so I can understand the owner's desire to lock it up somewhere. Perhaps you might luck out and find bike thieves target the more valuable scooters instead of the bicycles in the rack.

CliftonGK1

No.

RCW 46.04.304
Moped.
"Moped" means a motorized device designed to travel with not more than three wheels in contact with the ground and having an electric or a liquid fuel motor with a cylinder displacement not exceeding fifty cubic centimeters which produces no more than two gross brake horsepower (developed by a prime mover, as measured by a brake applied to the driving shaft) that is capable of propelling the device at not more than thirty miles per hour on level ground.


RCW 46.04.071
Bicycle.
"Bicycle" means every device propelled solely by human power upon which a person or persons may ride, having two tandem wheels either of which is sixteen inches or more in diameter, or three wheels, any one of which is more than twenty inches in diameter.



RCW 46.61.710 prohibits the operation of mopeds on a "bicycle path or trail, bikeway, equestrian trail, or hiking or recreational trail."

Bikeway == bicycle lane.
No mopeds, no scooters, no motorcycles.

dcrowell

The scooter rack is at the entrance to the Kentucky Center parking garage (Sixth just north of Main). The bike rack is in the parking garage.

Antaresia

jeez, and don't get me started on people who park their exercise bikes at the bike racks. The nerve.

zoltani

If that irks you then NEVER travel to europe....you'll go crazy.

aggst1

Ohh my God!!!! What is this world coming to... Quick ! Lock your wives/girlfriends, kids, and the elderly indoors until the sidewalk terrorist get's ticketed!!!

I would pay $ to see the police officer's face when the OP called to complain about a moped parked at the bike rack...

bhop

I've seen it.. doesn't bother me as long as the racks aren't full. Thing is, a lot of those scooters are light enough to be lifted and thrown into a truck by two big dudes. I'd lock mine up too if I had one.

dahut

Kind of a non-issue. I get your point, but I would have left them a note, before calling the strong arms down on them.

sunstorm

I guess I don't really consider campus police/parking enforcement as the strong arms of the law. Where I attend school, motorcycles and mopeds must have a parking permit, and ones that do this don't have the permit. The permit cost for various vehicles is determined by the 'cost of generation and maintenance of appropriate parking' so every individual that doesn't get one drives the cost up for other students. Since I'm at a medical institution and on call, I can't always take my bike (must report in under 20 min when paged) a couple of non-bikes on bike racks can increase my cost for a parking permit, which is over $300 dollars (it's about $100 for a moped/motorcycle)....and even a $20 dollar increase a semester would result in a total cost (due to loans) over over $500 (if I pay my student loans back in 10 years and there's no interest increase.) And we only have 3 bike racks, only two of which are at all convenient or secure...doesn't take many mopeds to block those (and our security would rather have a student report than a fire marshal violation....our bike racks are near doors so putting wider vehicles there is considered a hindrance to fire exits.) So this may be a milage varies by location.

robyr

Off topic but: Duke student eh? Awesome!

dahut

How about locking your bike to the mopeds, if they've taken up the bike racks.
Leave your name and number and they can call you to come unlock it when they want to leave. You get locked, they get locked and the point is made.