Updated 2008-07-16 03:40
Parking an issue with increase in scooters
As fuel costs soar, many commuters are turning to more gas-efficient vehicles such as motorized scooters and mopeds. But the trend is leading to more vehicles being parked on sidewalks throughout the city, and Boston Transportation Department (BTD) officials say they have virtually no means of enforcement against the practice.
Though such vehicles are subject to driving laws, many aren’t classified in a way that would require license plates, or even being registered with the state. That poses a problem for transportation officials, who are seeing more motorized scooters, such as Vespas, parked on sidewalks but can’t issue tickets because they don’t have plates.
“We can’t do anything about enforcement,” admitted BTD spokesman Jim Mansfield, adding they “do not belong on the sidewalk.”
The trend follows an increase in sales of mopeds and scooters, as commuters are ditching gas-guzzling cars for the smaller vehicles. The number of registration applications for “motorized bikes,” or mopeds, is “way up” in 2008 compared with previous years, according to Registry of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Ann Dufresne, though she could not provide specific figures. Meanwhile, the state doesn’t register motorized scooters.
But BTD Commissioner Tom Tinlin is planning to meet soon with officials from the state’s Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) to learn about the state’s policies on such vehicles and discuss issues that might lead to greater oversight, Mansfield said.
“We understand the green issue, and we don’t want to prohibit that. But want to make sure it’s done in a safe way,” Mansfield said.
