*** Easy Rider Days May End for Motorized Scooters ***

Yakima, Washington -- 06/14/2004
Scooter riders beware: The days of riding free and easy in
Yakima may soon come to an end. City Hall, at the urging
of Councilwoman Susan Whitman, is drafting an ordinance
to regulate the motorized gizmos.

She's not interested in the traditional motor scooters with bigger
engines and a substantial frame. Whitman is after what are
essentially toys with a motor attached to the back.

So far, the Yakima Police Department hasn't known what to
do with scooters, because there are no state or local laws regulating
them, other than a ban on riding them on the Yakima Greenway.
It's up to cities to come up with their own scooter do's and don'ts.

As the price has dropped dramatically — from $1,000 a few years
ago to as low as $99 today — the little engines are more common
on city streets, causing local officials to worry about riders' safety.

According to police, there's only been one notable scooter
accident in the area. A few months ago, an 11-year-old boy
ran his scooter into a van and suffered a skull fracture.

A recent scooter-related death in Seattle inspired
Whitman to take up the cause.

"It's going to happen again in this state,
and I don't want it to be in Yakima," she said.

Whitman said emergency 9-1-1 dispatchers have been inundated
with complaints about the tiny-wheeled gadgets. Some complain
that scooters are noisy and dangerous.

Whitman and police Chief Sam Granato said the city's public
safety committee is considering setting a minimum age requirement
of 14 for riders and requiring helmets for riders under 18.

They're also discussing a plan to register riders under 18 and their
scooters to make sure owners haven't altered their scooters to go
faster, and to ensure their mufflers work. Also, police would teach
young riders about the rules of the road. Normal traffic laws that
apply to bikes and cars would apply to scooters under the
ordinance-in-progress.

Scooters ridden at night would need lights and reflectors.

Punishment could include fines up to $250.

Granato said if the City Council passes the ordinance, he believes
his officers will enforce it, especially those in charge of traffic. He
anticipates dispatching officers to look for scooters after neighbors
call in to complain.

The council's public safety committee will review a draft
ordinance later this month before bringing it to the full council.

The city of Union Gap is also talking about cracking down on
scooters, but its City Council hasn't discussed anything specific yet.

Part of the difficulty of coming up with legislation on scooters has
been defining one. Riders stand on some and sit on others, but it's
the size of the tires that matters, Whitman said. The committee is
considering any motorized device — electric or gas-driven
— with tires 12 inches in diameter or smaller.

However, the difference between
gas and electric might be a sticking point.

Electric scooter rider Elizabeth Weible says her slower, electric
model shouldn't be regulated. The 20-year-old Yakima resident
said gas-powered scooters are "more dangerous and too loud."

Scooters with gas engines can rev up to speeds of 30 mph while
the electric models max out around 12 mph. Gas engines sound
like chain saws or lawnmowers, while electric motors hum quietly.

Fans of scooters hail them as a good alternative to cars.
People who've lost their licenses might use them to get
to and from work.

And if they're electric,
they can be an earth-friendly alternative to cars.

But for kids who aren't near the age of driving cars but like the
go-go-go and freedom their scooters provide, the new law
could be heartbreaking.

One 12-year-old girl in particular might be especially upset.

"This law is going to make me unpopular at home," Granato said.
He and his wife bought their daughter two scooters, gas and electric.
She rides them around the neighborhood with friends, but soon she
may me limited to her driveway.

Geneb...Wenatchee,Washington-USA
All Things Northwest in BMX!
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