Comments on: Scooter your way to clutter-free transportation

By: mags

mags — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:17:16 +0000

If its illegal to ride on the sidewalk where are my kids supposed to ride? You know how fast people drive on the street- residential, school zone, they just go.

By: Seamus

Seamus — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:05:20 +0000

I ride a kymco agility 50 scooter 9 months out of the year. I put on 2,500+ miles on it so far since 9/5/07. I get 90+mpg. In worcester,ma. i deal with bleeping bad drivers daily. Its like im not there so most of the time i ride with my highbeam on. Im trying to see if i can rig my scooter with driving lights for more light output. I wear a fullface helmet,padded jacket,pants,ankle work boots,gloves. I hate that my cdi box keeps me a 30mph. But im not in a rush it takes me 25mins to get to work. In a few years i might upgrade to a 150cc but i like my small scooter. Ride safe!

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 17 May 2008 17:12:49 +0000

I realy, really miss my scooter. I had one for three months and absolutely loved the experience, until it got stolen! Riding a scooter does unclutter your mind for sure; I once rode it on the M1 (the biggest motorway in the UK, about equivalent to the 405 in L.A.) and was absolutely terrified for the entire trip, but it made me feel alive!

By: Buck Burns

Buck Burns — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:32:55 +0000

Don’t know where you live Michael, but if you live in the U.S. I’d suggest you check your state vehicle code. In California, where I live, and as far as I know in every other state, bicycles are defined as vehicles–CVC 21200 states “Bicyclists have all the rights and responsibilities of vehicle owners”. That means a right to the road.

Statistically, it is far safer for a cyclist to ride in the street, by the way. Pedestrians have double the accident rate of cyclists due to drivers popping out of driveways and right hooking folks in crosswalks.

By: karen

karen — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:58:25 +0000

Having motorbikes has increased the clutter in our flat! We put some shelves and coat hangers in the hallway so it can all be stacked neatly.

But they are worth it for the 30 mile commute to work, and I’ve used mine every month this year.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:05:28 +0000

Michael-regardless of your views/arguments about bicyclists, it’s illegal to ride them on the sidewalk, as far as I know, EVERYWHERE IN THE USA. Sidewalks were made for pedestrians. Bicycles may be a small annoyance when you’re stuck behind one in a 35 zone going 5 mph, but THEY have no choice. So show a little patience!

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:11:40 +0000

“…a bike on the sidewalk is irresponsible.” Huh? Did you just say riding a bike off-road is irresponsible? No no no if you think bikes are a nuisance to pedestrians, then maybe that’s because pedestrians have unreasonable expectations. A bike (not affecting pedestrians at all) on the sidewalk is safe. If pedestrians have trouble with it, then pedestrians need to accommodate. A bike isn’t a toy, it’s useful for short distance transportation in fair weather. I’m stunned that socially responsible people such as those who have the internet would be so misinformed as to suggest using a bike for Russian roulette! That’s

DURR

UNSAFE. Absolutely everywhere. Because showers can harm people, you are only legally allowed to shower in the middle of the road (replace “shower with “bike” to see something neat). And if bikes are troublesome to pedestrians on the sidewalk, then pedestrians can durn well stay on their sofas. Bike riders live in municipalities and pay taxes similarly to pedestrians. The sidewalks are where bikes should be; and were made FOR bikes as much as pedestrians.

-point negation by word substitution (means the argument had no substance). I am arguing the legality of it…if it was illegal to breathe (due to the oxygen shortage) would you stop breathing?

Tell you what, we’ll do a science test…

I’ll jump out in front of a moving bike, and you jump out in front of a moving car. Then after we can talk about which one is more of a danger to pedestrians, everyone will have a good laugh! Hooray for science!

By: Cliff

Cliff — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:35:42 +0000

“… stay on the sidewalk”? Did you actually just recommend that bicyclists use the sidewalk to commute? No no no … if you think bikes’re a nuisance to the expectations of car drivers, then maybe that’s because the car drivers have unreasonable expectations. A bike on the sidewalk is both illegal, and irresponsible. A bike (perhaps slowing traffic) in a traffic lane, is normal. If cars have trouble with it, then cars need to accommodate. A bike isn’t a toy, it’s a more responsible means of commuting than is a car. I’m stunned that socially responsible people such as those who visit Unclutterer.com would be so misinformed as to suggest a bike should stay on a sidewalk! That’s

DUH

ILLEGAL. Nearly everywhere. Because bikes can harm people. Same reason cars aren’t welcome on sidewalks. And if bikes are troublesome to cars on the roads, then cars can durn well stay in the driveways. Bike riders live in municipalities and pay taxes similarly to car drivers. The roads are where bikes should be; and were made FOR bikes as much as for any other means of transport.

IMNSHO … of course …

Anyway, scooters … umm … yeah.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:41:31 +0000

Scooters are really cool, I just wish I would be able to use it for more than 3 months out of the year.

That being said, I’d say a scoot would be more practical than a bicycle (unless you have residential roads on your entire trip).

Nothing pisses me off more than someone riding their bike on a busy road. It’s dangerous for the cyclist and for motorists (in secondary collisions with other cars due to dodging/avoiding/stopping for cyclists). If you can ride your bike at the posted speed limit, awesome, but for the 99% who can’t stay on the sidewalk. Anyone ever hear of a pedestrian-cyclist fatality? No?

And cars do in fact own the road, the road which is subsidized by gasoline taxes.

By: Anjali's Mom

Anjali's Mom — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:21:59 +0000

Taking after your Mom, I see. When I was in college from 1970 to 1974 my Dad bought two Honda 50s–one for me and one for my sister. We rode them back and forth to college back when gas was $.98 a gallon and we could go 100 miles on a gallon. It was great! I was never in an accident, and never late to class. Lots of motorists were curious about the scooter, as if it were the first time they’d ever seen one on the road. Of course, having grown up in Thailand we had seen them all over the place. Keep on ridin’ safely!!

By: modchen

modchen — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:15:40 +0000

urbanscootin is the shiznit!

METRO FTW

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:04:08 +0000

Nice scooter! I have the green italia . I love it and never ever want to own a car again! And I agree… skipping ahead of the traffic stopped at the intersection is a great perk!

By: infmom

infmom — Sat, 03 May 2008 22:16:08 +0000

I’d recommend the Ride To Work web site for everyone considering using a motorcycle or scooter for a daily commute. http://www.ridetowork.org/

I didn’t commute on my Vespa because there was no safe place to park it once I got there. I was a city drone who worked a 9-hour day and had to park in a big municipal garage, and there was no place to lock down a scooter. Scooters are small enough that a couple of determined guys can pick them up and move them. No way was I having my beloved Vespa stolen after waiting all those years to get it.

By: Eric

Eric — Sat, 03 May 2008 20:50:17 +0000

Great post! Good to see so much lively discussion.

I rode a scooter instead of driving a car for 2 years. This is much more feasible in certain parts of the country, depending on the roads and highways and the weather. I live in L.A., which is just about perfect: year-round scooting weather and you can get anywhere in the city using surface streets. In fact, this often took less time or about the same amount of time as using highways. I recently bought a car, but only because I’d changed jobs and was commuting farther, often late at night. Still, I ride the scooter 2 or 3 days a week to work and on weekends.

Especially since regular gas has hit $4/gal. in L.A.

I have a Vespa LX 150, which has been upgraded to a 190cc (and has several other performance mods). My wife also rides a Genuine Buddy 125, but her commute is way too far for practical scootering.

Some good places to start looking into scooters:
http://modernbuddy.com (Owner and enthusiast forum for the Genuine Buddy scooters. And, in full disclosure, I also own the site. )
http://modernvespa.com
http://www.urbanscootin.com/

We have a lot of buying advice and discussion of many types of scooters on ModernBuddy. And if you have any questions about the Buddy or other models, feel free to email me: admin@modernbuddy.com

By: Cliff

Cliff — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:55:16 +0000

I’m seriously considering getting a scooter (and probably, therefore, getting rid of my car) for this fall, when I start law school. I will be living about 5 miles from campus, hence a “commuter,” but the parking situation is ridiculously difficult at campus. I haven’t looked into all the alternatives. Where should I go on the internet to comparison-shop scooters, Vespas, mini-motorcycles, and the like? I’d say that I would just ride my bike but it’s going to be a little too far for a daily commute, especially since I’ll also be doing on-campus office and clinic work and therefore will have to appear professional. (Yes yes, there’s always the theory that you can ride your bike towards there in athletic gear, carry your nice outfit, use the gym to shower, and thus be a responsible commuter. Believe me, I’ve tried this theory and it costs literally four hours a day, of crossing campus to / from the showers, changing time, plus the issue of carrying so much clothing that you can’t carry your books. BTDT. Sorry but in New Orleans you can’t ride a bike and not sweat. I didn’t make the office rules, or else I’d just say we should all be free to sweat. But I’m not the boss, some dude in a Jag with a pressed shirt is, and he stupidly does judge on the basis of shirt pressing among other things …)

Anyway, where to start looking into scooters?

By: David

David — Sat, 03 May 2008 13:25:50 +0000

@John — if everyone who had that attitude that you hate, then they would still be driving cars which are much worse for the environment

By: Julie

Julie — Sat, 03 May 2008 12:57:03 +0000

I actually had a scooter because I thought the commuting would be quick and easy. After an MSF course and license I bought my scooter with the full intention of taking it to work at back. What I found was that the road is a scary place when you don’t have a lot protecting you. Drivers don’t pay attention to you and you work extra to be visible. I also had on what I thought was full protection: helmet and jacket. I wiped out once when I was turning and ended up breaking my ankle. 2 surgeries later, I now have a metal plate in my ankle for the rest of my life. I could never get back on the scooter without that fear haunting me. I sold my scooter and now have a nice bicycle that I can ride to work. And yes…I wear a helmet when I ride my bicycle.

By: Klaus

Klaus — Sat, 03 May 2008 10:40:24 +0000

Just in order to widen perspectives a little bit, there are other places in the world than the US. And yes, in Europe Scooters are much more commonplace in daily traffic.

Many people here commented on environmental impact. One thing is for certain: the optimum would be to always have the type of vehicle available that most suits your immediate needs, the bike for the first few miles, a scooter or a Smart for the distances above that and the big car for the trip with the whole family. It is unfortunate however that unless you own all of these vehicles you will not be able to get the maximum benefit.

Eurpe has in many places experimented heavily with rental systems, thus far without much success. The urge to have your own “personal” transportation is still way too big! Considering all this a scooter might in fact be the kind of good compromise to help the environment and reduce clutter. Clutter btw is also on the streets and parking lots. Think about all the space that could be saved if America needed parking lots half the size of today! Citys would be only half as big as well! A nice incentive to use your bike more often.

This is my final comment for today: some here said simply “use a bike”. Not really an option in the States and only interesting in very few places in Europe. Unfortunately city planners have for decades only worried about one mode of transportation: the car. In order to make cities more pedestrian and bicycle friendly a lot of money and brainpower needs to be exerted!

By: Susan

Susan — Sat, 03 May 2008 05:59:28 +0000

I love the scooter scene in “Roman Holiday”. And I’ll always remember my ride with a friend on his scooter in high school.
But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that there’s a good reason why the E.R. nurses I know call all two-wheelers “Donor Cycles”. It’s because the only people whose health benefits from those machine are the ones whose names are on the “organs needed” list.
You can take all the safety classes in the world, but you can’t control the weather or other drivers, and the human brain isn’t made to handle impact at motor speeds. Even a relatively low-impact accident can impair you mentally for the rest of your life.
If you really want to be healthier for yourself and the plant, walk or ride your bike (with a helmet) more and use your car less.

By: Andamom

Andamom — Sat, 03 May 2008 03:49:14 +0000

Walking through Brooklyn today — my toddler commented on the number of motorcycles (and scooters although he uses the word motorcycles for anything electric and bikelike). People park the cycles more easily — even on their patios. And it makes a lot of sense — for people without kids. Honestly though, I cannot imagine being a parent with a scooter or cycle. We do have a Burley cart though that attaches to our bicycles, and we’re trying to see if we can get a special seat for our bikes because while scooters are nice, I prefer a bike, public transportation, and my own two feet!