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This article is very timely for me personally, as I've been thinking about getting a scooter since it's too hot to bike to work. But I've been confused by the fact that DC laws are very clear (must be licensed, no parking on sidewalks) and yet unlicensed, sidewalk-parked scooters are everywhere. I was reluctant to pay $1,500 and up for something I might not be able to park on the sidewalk, and my internet research has revealed that on rare occasion, the cops will impound a scooter without proper tags, and will arrest riders without motorcycle endorsements on their licenses, so I am still on the fence.

I have no doubt that liberalization of scooter laws would benefit me. But if you think scooters are a public good overall, you haven't spent time in an Asian megacity like Jakarta, and seen how bad traffic can get when a choking snarl of cars is augmented by a choking, smog-spewing, noisy snarl of scooters squeezed into every inch of space between lanes.

In general, I think it's likely that most scooters would replace mass transit and bicycles, rather than people trading down from cars. So no, that's not a public good.

by I'm a Prospective Scooter Owner on Jul 5, 2012 10:03 pm • link • report

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