Scooters in the Bike Lane?
Posted by Max Dunn Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:36:00 GMT
A cop just pulled me over on my scooter. I was riding in the bike line – like usual – and there was a bicyclist in the lane so I swerved around him. The cop saw this and said that since I was riding a motorcycle, I shouldn’t be in the bike lane. I explained that the manufacturer stated that it was a moped since it couldn’t go more than 30 MPH and it was all electric and so I should be riding in the bike lane. He said that I was probably going about 35 or 40 MPH (which is probably true) and that I should be riding just outside of the bike lane. However, he seemed a little unsure once I explained that the scooter was electric, so just gave me a warning.
However, this brings up a good question: should electric scooters ride in the bike lane or just outside of it? What is the maximum speed that we should go in the bike lane? In the California Motorcycle Handbook 2007 it says on Page 3:
You may ride a moped in a bicycle lane at a reasonable speed.So is 30 MPH a “reasonable” speed to ride in the bike lane, or is this too fast?
I would agree that mopeds or electric scooters should be allowed to ride in the bike lane. And I think “reasonable” speed is best considered relative to other riders. I go 40 mph on my bike down some hills, but if you sped past me on your scooter at 40 mph while I was doing 20 on the flats, I’d want a wide berth – not “sharing” the lane. Bicyclists routinely pass each other at 10 mph difference, so that should be comfortable. Anything more than that, and I’d suggest the scooter should leave the bike lane (joining motor traffic) 100+ feet around a bicyclist – or just slow down to ensure a smooth and safe pass.
I think scooters should be allowed in the bike lane because putting them on the main street would prove quite an obstruction to the cars and will be more dangerous for the moped riders. The riders should however respect the bikers in the lane and ride at the moderate speed with them.
My every day vehicle is an SUV with poor visibility out of the rear side corners and I am always worrying about motorcycles lane splitting and my not seeing them. I think I have seen the type of scooter you are describing and I would hope the police in my town are okay letting you stay in the bike lane!
I have been riding my Zapino since Thanksgiving 2007 and only drive in the bike lane when my scooter is running on survival mode. This happens when I go further than I should. Otherwise I ride in the lanes with the big bikes. 95% of the time I can keep up just fine but mostly when I cross overpasses do cars get a little close and a bit impatient. On the whole, I ride my scooter the way I used to ride my Moto Guzzi V1000 G5 in college—I am constantly scanning and I take up my location in the lane.
That said I do feel vulnerable riding a scooter that barely keeps up with gas powered vehicles. I wear a Kawasaki Ninja Green jacket with armor and I kick at cars that try to take the same space I am in. Well, maybe that last behavior is not such a good one.
As one of the cyclists you might be “swerving” around, I don’t much like having scooters in the bicycle lane. Isn’t it called the “bicycle” lane? Plus, the idea of “swerving” around a cyclist suggests the same kind of disregard for the safety or integrity of cyclists that most cars demonstrate.
I am pleased that people are abandoning their cars for motorized scooters, but it hardly seems fair that they should get to assert yet another variety of gas-propelled superiority and bike-threatening behavior.