Scooter Sweep in the Slope
Are the city’s powers that be conspiring to rid Brooklyn sidewalks of scooters? Yes, according to a poster on the Forum who says the mayor’s office directed the police to “get them all off the sidewalks last week.” When we walked down a stretch of Third Street on Sunday, there were a number of scoots…
Are the city’s powers that be conspiring to rid Brooklyn sidewalks of scooters? Yes, according to a poster on the Forum who says the mayor’s office directed the police to “get them all off the sidewalks last week.” When we walked down a stretch of Third Street on Sunday, there were a number of scoots and motorcycles parked on the sidewalk (like the ones above), but a couple of guys we talked to who live on the street said they’d noticed some scooters being impounded last week, which “happens from time to time.” An officer from the 78th Precinct said that as far as she knows, the precinct hasn’t been ratcheting up pressure on scooter owners who park on sidewalks. “I don’t think we’re doing it any more lately than usual,” said Office Ashby. “We tend to respond to complaints from home owners.” Whether or not cops have been towing more scooters than usual lately, we sympathize with the plight of two-wheelers who don’t want to see their rides wrecked by parking in the street. And it doesn’t seem like taking up a bit of sidewalk on a wide thoroughfare like Third Street really gets in anyone’s way. But beyond that, as one person on the Forum commented, “Here’s an enlightened idea for the Mayor’s office… just provide safe and legal scooter parking SOMEWHERE and watch the scooters in that area just fly off the sidewalks!”
Scooter Parking [Forum]
What constitutes obstructing the sidewalk? So- you can’t chain bicycles. What do you mean no garbage cans? Not on garbage day? Well, there is the letter of the law and the law…
For the record, the sidewalks are under the jurisdiction of the DOT and it is currently against the law to obstruct the sidewalk with anything, a garbage can, a pile of rocks or a scooter. If you don’t like the law, legislate to have it changed, but you do not have the option to break the law.
I’m a motorcycle owner. I risk serious and expensive damage every time I park my bike between cars – regardless of how much space I have. SUVs especially are prone to hitting smaller, lower objects – and not just while they’re parked.
While it may be illegal to park on the sidewalk, as long as car/SUV owners are incapable of paying attention to their surroundings it’s often the only viable solution.
Given that we use a lot less oil, cause less noise (most of us), reduce congestion and almost no traffic fatalities (as opposed to being the victims of them) we should be entitled to a decent/safe place to park.
If the city’s hard up for cash, one solution is registration and tolls in proportion to vehicle weight/wear and tear on the roads. Currently I pay a dollar less to cross the Verazano than an SUV that weighs 5-7 times more than my bike and causes far more pollution/traffic/general misery. At least let the a$$ holes that drive the tanks pay for some of the problems they cause – that would free up a few decent sized parking spaces!
@2:22
HA HA HA… you are so naive… as if this money just isn’t filtered into corrupt folks pockets.
Schoolbooks! hilarious.
We have a Vespa and mostly park it legally on the street, moving it each day for alternate-side parking–not really a problem, since there’s pretty much always a space to squeeze it into. Yes, it’s been scraped, bumped, even knocked over a few times, and that sucks, but we figure it’s just part and parcel of living in a big crowded city.
The only problem we have is when we go out of town. As several people have noted, it’s really hard to find a garage to take motorbikes. So when we’re away and can’t move it for alternate-side parking, that’s the one time we end up parking it on the sidewalk (minus license plate, chained to a pole). Anyone have any suggestions around this conundrum? Or know of any garages/lots in Brooklyn that will take motorbikes for short periods?
200 POUNDS? Good grief. Park in the street.
It’s illegal. Whether you like it or not. As a person who owns neither a scooter nor a car, I like the cops out there writing as many tickets as possible. I like that there is a team of people out there doing this all day, everyday. One more school book here, one less fire station closing there. And if you don’t like it — hey! don’t park illegally. How hard is that?
1:27 please read your post again- contradictory and self serving much?
sheesh.
1:02 PM – Most scooters are not very heavy – less than 200lbs (Maxi-scooters not included which can be as heavy as a motorcycle, but are the minority of scoots on the NYC streets)
They can be knocked over very easily – even a tap from someone parking by feel can send it down, causing hundreds of dollars of damage and in some instances making the bike unrideable.(like breaking off the brake or clutch lever)
However, as far as them being on the sidewalk and falling thus hurting someone, the chance is very slim. Unless someone is messing around with the bike they’re not going to move on their own.