42 scooters swiped since January
WTVR was filming on Monument Avenue near Arthur Ashe yesterday and had a story about the rise in “scooter-jackings” in the area. Richmond police report that 42 have been stolen this year, up from 11 during the same period last year.
There certainly have been a rise in scooter use in the area – I see them buzzing around the Museum District all the time.
Don’t be lazy – lock them up.
I have never understood why these scooters are not licensed. In other states mopeds need a license plate. I see little kids riding these between buildings, on sidewalks and down one way streets the wrong way. The opportunity for mischief and crime abounds.
and it’s only going to get worse…
In my pedestrian travels, I note with some pleasure the proliferation of scooters. The less than cordial relationship that some drivers have with rules of the road is, of course, of some concern.
But I enjoy seeing them in the Monument Avenue roundabouts, giving Richmond a European quality.
But, Paul, I agree, these vehicles probably should be licensed in order to a) Track them if they are stolen, b) Report them if the user is running between buildings.
Though with a Segway store now opening in town, look to see some of those zipping around, too. But at $5,000 a pop — a used car price — you probably won’t see very many. Still, they’re fun, and go just 12 miles per hour, and are governed by the same statutes covering motorized wheel chairs. They’re just not as ‘sexy’ as scooters.
You can’t put your, well, date on the back of a Segway and go careening around town on Friday night.
I am one of the people that had her scooter stolen about this time last year. The thing with license plates is the engine size. If it is smaller than 50cc, no plate is required. At that small size, they can’t go very fast and don’t have much power. Fortunately, my scooter was recently found, but is in really bad condition.
Even though it doesn’t have a license it is still illegal to ride on the sidewalk. It has the same rules as a bicycle which is: ride on the road in the correct direction. You can get a ticket for riding down a one way street the wrong way on a bike or a scooter.
Yes, by law one must obey all laws when on a bicycle, but who does!? I surely don’t. I blow stoplight and stop signs even in front of the police (my evening commute goes right by the station on Canal St.). Does anyone obey? Quite frankly, some people are scared to operate a bicycle on the road with all those cars–seeing as how some certainly don’t respect cyclists.
I’ve previously owned a Moped and know that its 50ccs or less, and no greater than 30 MPH. Its supposed to be a bicycle “with a helper motor.” And *I think* the rules were written such that it must be operable without the motor. I’m not sure how the scooter bypasses that rule, but oh well.
paul h’s comment was obviously geared towards kids just being kids.
You do not need a license to operate a moped, but there are other requirements, including age. In fact, I think its something like 15 whereas a licence is 16+ now.
My scooter was 150cc Bajaj. I had tags and insurance and was supposed to have gotten a motorcycle operators license. Mine was “stolen” by the lady in the SUV that failed to stop and tried to squash me.
U folks who have scooters, PLEASE park them responsibly! I’ve seen one of the ladies featured in the RtD story park her Buddy on the only GREENSPACE on the block, on top of tree roots. Heavy compression KILLS tree roots, folks! You can’t talk out of one side of your mouth claiming to be ‘green’ if you’re killing trees by parking your scoot.
This article is about stealing!
This city needs bait bikes, bait cars, and bait mopeds installed with GPS to follow criminals back to their lairs, and bust them for the stolen items, and anything else they have lying around!