*** Scooters Sidelined ***

Salina, KS (AP) -- 06/17/2004
~Motorized vehicles not legal on streets without registration, tags~
After his driver’s license was revoked a little more than a year ago,
Carl Honomichl, 329 S. 12th No. 3, thought he’d have to walk or
bicycle everywhere he wanted to go.

But then, about four months ago, he and his wife, Juanita, bought
motorized scooters. The scooters, equipped with headlights, taillights,
turn signals and mirrors, have gotten them everywhere they’ve needed
to go.

“They don’t have any vehicle identification numbers or titles,
but I was told before I bought them that they were street legal,”
Honomichl said. “I checked with the driver’s license place to make
sure I didn’t need a license, and they said if it didn’t have a tag
I didn’t need a license. And the dealer said I didn’t need a tag.”

Recently, though, Honomichl was told by Salina police the vehicles
can’t legally be ridden on streets because they don’t have tags.

“We’re back to our bicycles,” Honomichl said Wednesday.
“The scooters are just sitting here.”

Salina police Lt. Russ Lamer said there has been some confusion
about the law relating to motorized scooters, which is one reason
he released information earlier this week about the law. Since he
released that information, Lamer said, he’s had numerous telephone
calls from people who own scooters.

“I think there was a lot of misinformation out there,” he said.
“I think it is a complicated issue, which is why there was
misinformation.

“We really wanted to get with the media to clarify the problem
and educate the public. I’m sure there will be people out there
who bought these vehicles assuming they could be legally ridden
on the streets, when they can’t.”

Lamer said it’s illegal to operate any vehicle on a road unless it’s
registered and tagged. If the state doesn’t require the vehicle to be
tagged, it can’t be ridden on the street.

A vehicle, he said, is defined as any device “upon which or by
which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn
upon a highway” with the exception of bicycles, train cars and
electric wheelchairs.

Most scooters, he said, “are not manufactured to highway standards.”

“They are not designed to be ridden on the road,” Lamer said.
“They do not come with titles and are not able to be tagged.”

Since they’re motorized vehicles, the scooters also can’t be
ridden on city sidewalks. Lamer said motorized scooters can
be ridden on private property only with the permission of the
property owner.

More crashes ahead

Lamer said the police department plans to strictly enforce the law
because of “safety concerns for any unauthorized vehicle on the
streets.”

He said some people already have been injured on motorized
scooters, and police fear more crashes will occur as the scooters
become more popular.

“The department wants to try and enforce
the laws to help protect the public,” Lamer said.

Asked whether police officers might have given conflicting information
about the legalities concerning motorized scooters, Lamer said, “It’s
a complicated issue. All of the officers are being trained in the proper

procedures.”

Honomichl can understand why the city would want to regulate the
scooters, but he doesn’t understand why they should be banned
from all city streets.

“I don’t think they should have them on the sidewalks, but we
stay off the sidewalks,” Honomichl said. “I don’t think they hurt
anything. We stay off to the side, like a bicycle would, where the
cars can pass. We don’t interrupt traffic at all.”

He said motorized scooters are a good alternative for people,
like him, who have lost their driver’s licenses.

“We have a couple of friends who have them,” he said. “I’m out of
work. I’m still recovering from back surgery I had two years ago.
My wife doesn’t drive right now. We just needed some quick
transportation besides walking.”

Sales are great

Larry Carter, president of Mid America Business Equipment,
417 S. Broadway, said motorized scooters are extremely popular.
He estimated he’s sold about 1,400 since November.

“We started selling them because President Bush said for the people
of America to get alternative energy sources,” Carter said. “These
get 130 miles a gallon.”

Carter said he sells small, electric scooters for as little as $250
each.
He also sells larger, gas-powered models that can be registered and
tagged.

The electric scooters are equipped with safety features, including
headlights, taillights, mirrors and horns, and they don’t go over 30
mph.

He said the scooters are as safe as
— or safer than
— bicycles on city streets.

“Most bicycles don’t have turn signals, headlights, horns,” Carter said.

“These are actually a little safer than a bicycle is. I don’t know how
you can take these off the street without taking bicycles off the
street.”

Carter said he wouldn’t argue with a few regulations
— such as age restrictions, restrictions on riding the scooters
on major arteries, restrictions on riding after dark.

“But totally taking them off the street, I can’t see that,”
he said.

He said the police department’s stance that the scooters can’t
be ridden on public streets hasn’t killed sales, but it’s slowed them
down quite a bit. Carter said he’s now concentrating on selling
models that can be registered and tagged.

The scooters have been most popular, though, with people who
have lost their driver’s licenses because of convictions for driving
under the influence. For many, the scooters are their only means
of transportation.

“These people work at McDonald’s, at Wal-Mart, at Kmart, at
Burger King. Lots of people, that’s what they’re using for
transportation
for work. That’s the only way they can get there,” Carter said.

Carter said he spent hours researching the law before he began
selling the scooters because he wanted to make sure they could
be ridden on the street. He was assured by many state and local
officials that they legally could be ridden on the street. Many of his
customers also checked with officials before making the purchases.

“What’s unfair is that these people were checking, and they were
told it was OK, then they were making the purchase, then, without
any laws changing, they’re just deciding now that they’re not legal,”
Carter said. “This is what I see is wrong.”

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