“After being harassed by a cyclist one morning about parking at a bike rack I called both Parking and Parking Enforcement. I was told by Todd in Parking (843-7298) that until the “scooter racks” are installed we have just as much right to park at the bike racks as a bike rider (that is, as long as your scooter is less than 50cc). They also said they are NOT ticketing now. He said when things change it will be in the DTH. Until we see something there I think we’ll be OK at the bike racks.”

If you have any further updates, please let us know at scooters@unc.edu

It is now possible to get a scooter permit, but it won’t be absolutely necessary until November when the fines start kicking in. According to faculty member Barbara Ambros, who got a permit:

“You need to go to Public Safety to get the scooter permit. I gave them my scooter’s  VIN number, make, and color which they listed under comments. Just got it today. I had to stand in line for about 30 minutes…”

You may also have noticed scooter parking going up around campus. Facilities Maintenance Manager Adrian Naylor said:

“Scooter safety racks have been installed at the following locations: Swain lot, Hanes lot, EPA gated lot, Emerson drive, Peabody, Crescent lot, Public Safety lot, Caldwell lot, Porthole lots, Wilson Library, Glaxo lot and Ridge Road. We are in the process of installing the scooter racks at all MC [motorcycle] parking locations.”

The problem with the racks that have been installed, according to scooter folk who have seen them, is that the current number and placement is inadequate. Barbara Ambros again:

“I checked the scooter parking in the parking lot behind the Ackland
Museum and found two motorcycle parking areas totaling about 10 or
12 spots combined. Each had one spot with a u-rack for a scooter.

My concern is that if you only put up one u-rack per motorcycle
parking area that can only accommodate one bike, there are not going
to be enough spots that offer secure parking. If one person parks
their scooter, or motorcycle, in that spot, that’s it. No more spots
available.”

Cheryl Stout, Assistant Director for Parking Services, has been keeping me up to date on the scooter parking situation. She said that the Department of Public Safety (DPS)  is “installing them as we go and intend only to do an educational program through October.” I took this to mean that we will come to see increased u-locks on campus for scooters based on areas of campus that seem to require them. Ms. Stout: “We’ve got areas identified for the scooters to go in and we’ll get them in asap and then monitor other areas.  I’m also going to request, as I said before, that the planners keep these needs in mind as they renovate or build new buildings.”

The DPS also put out this official email regarding the issue:
“Gas-Powered Motorcycles, Mopeds, Scooters, and Bikes or Two-wheeled Motorized Vehicle Parking — Owners of “Motorized Two-Wheeled Vehicles” (gas-powered motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, and bikes) that do not require registration are required to purchase and display a UNC MC permit and must park in designated MC zoned parking areas. Permits may be purchased beginning Wednesday, August 12^th at DPS for an annual flat rate of $24. U racks will be installed throughout campus at MC zoned areas to accommodate these vehicles. Warning notices will be issued until November 1^st to insure operators of these vehicles have adequate notice and time to purchase and display a permit. For more information regarding valid parking areas, visit the DPS website: http://www.dps.unc.edu/”

I would like to thank the University and particularly Cheryl Stout for working to incorporate safe areas on campus for scooters to park. However, the situation remains as it was at the close of the Board of Trustees meeting: we still must park in designated motorcycle parking, and though the permit prices are lower, we still have to get a permit.

Also, though we pointed out a number of places on campus that would be great for scooter parking – near the street and with ample bike racks- the new regulations won’t allow scooters to park there because they involve passing over sidewalks. Unfortunately the tendency of bureaucracy is a one-way path towards increased regulation, but it would be great if we could put together a push to have scooter regulations to be reconsidered so that they are more in line with what we see at (as much as I hate to say it) Duke and frankly, anywhere else in the world.

In other places, scooters go unregulated, are treated as bikes, have *permanently* low permit fees (unlike ours, which might rise next year unless we put up a fight), and scooters are even *required* to park at bike racks. We should fight to have scooters allowed on sidewalks when walked, and have people be fined for riding them on the sidewalk. This would free up space, make people happy, and bring the gratifying pleasure of knowing that the regulations are based on good sense.

Scooter folk, we still have a ways to go…

Good areas include:
-places that are close to the places people want to be
-places that are currently “hard top”
-places within 10 feet of a road
-places that have existing bike racks, or that could be converted without much effort

Although having low U-racks in many places would be helpful, we also suggested the solution of painting certain bike racks a special color (perhaps “environmentally-friendly green” or “Tarheel blue”) to show that it’s a scooter-friendly parking space.

Check out this PDF to see the proposed spots, or email us to suggest some yourself. But do this before the end of July so we can get this done quickly. Thanks.

Well, I (Brian) spoke at the Board of Trustees meeting today on behalf of those concerned about the new scooter laws, and I believe we made a cogent argument that genuinely changed the minds of many board members. (See a copy of the speech for details) The end result, on paper, is the same as what was in the modified proposal from yesterday: $24 fees and special scooter parking. Thus we did not get everything we wanted.

However, I think we made some real progress.

1. Promises of a $24 fee this year, and the chance to fight for no increase next year.
2. Promises of secure places to park.
3. The chance to make our case in the future. This includes positive perception from the board and also from key people in charge of this issue (including Chancellor Holden Thorp, several board members and importantly Parking Heads Carol Efland and Cheryl Stout)
4. The chance to work with ACT (The Advisory Committee for Transportation) which has grad student, undergrad and employee representatives. (The grad student member passed around articles about how scooters pollute worse than Hummers, and thus did not advocate very effectively on our behalf)
5. The chance to identify areas that are not motorcycle parking areas now that could be designated for scooter parking. This is the most exciting thing. More about this below.

So, while it wasn’t perfect, it was a definite step in the right direction. Many people were on our side, and the chairman of the board himself congratulated us as being the most professional, informative and organized group to approach the board in his tenure there.

What’s next?
We need to get people to find places on campus where we can make the argument for scooter parking, and collect a clear map of this soon, so that we can work with Cheryl Stout to get it together.

Help us do this in the next week or so!

I am here speaking on behalf of hundreds of Faculty, Students, Staff and Citizens who have spoken out about scooter policies on campus. We appreciate your willingness to let us speak to the board today about an issue that is very important to us: the proposed regulations for scooters at UNC.

At first glance the modified policy looks like an improvement: $24 for registration instead of $174 – $371, and a promise of having secure parking. A closer look at what is being proposed, however, shows that the policy is still insufficient and problematic.

A review of UNC’s motorcycle parking map shows that there are few places where motorcycles are able to park currently, and these already overcrowded lots will now be forced to accommodate hundreds of scooters. A change of this sort means more than adding racks for secure parking- it means finding additional parking lots on our already crowded campus.

Also, the lower registration costs are just a minor concession to the 380 Students, Faculty, Staff and Citizens who signed our online petition, as Scooter commuters will seemingly have to pay hundreds of dollars to register their space-saving, eco-friendly mode of transportation in the coming years, according to the modified proposal. This regulation contradicts North Carolina state law, which clearly distinguishes between motorcycles and scooters, as well as the policies of other nearby Universities. At Duke University scooters can register for free and they are *required* to park at bike racks. At NC State, scooters are free to park as they please, and registration costs are between $0 and $5. Why would UNC, which has been recognized as a leader in eco-friendly, progressive transporation, choose to punish a group that so clearly benefits the community at large?

Carol Efland of the Vice-Chancellor’s office wrote to me in an email that UNC has parking for only 50% of its staff and 10% of its student population. The Department of Public Safety has also stated since at least September 2008 that the campus parking for motorcycles alone is overcrowded, saying: “Increased use of motorcycles has presented another parking problem, because there are currently not enough spaces.”)

The proposed regulations exacerbate these problems rather than alleviating them.

UNC is a world-class University. We can do better.

How can we, as Bain and Company has just suggested, increase employee satisfaction, reduce bureaucracy, streamline our operations and become more responsive to the needs of students and staff?

We propose the following four things:

-First, that the University realize that the spaces given in the current motorcycle parking are insufficient, and that alternative choices (such as allowing scooters to park at bike racks, or at least opening up the range of places where they can park) are necessary.

-Second, that scooter riders be allowed to dismount and push the scooter to a bicycle rack to secure it, just as the current regulations allow. Those who ride scooters on sidewalks, or perform other dangerous tasks, should be fined accordingly, but the responsible scooter rider should be allowed to use space-conscious, secure and convenient parking at University bike racks.

-Third, that the $24 fee being proposed for the coming year be extended to the future as well, rather than increasing the price to the originally proposed cost of $174-371 in the coming years, which far exceeds the costs of other universities in the area.

-Finally, and most importantly, that scooter riders have a voice in the regulations that are being written about them, both now and in the future. There is clearly a need for ongoing conversation with actual scooter riders. Our group, which includes committed Faculty, Students and Staff, would welcome this role, with the goals of:

A. Promoting good scooter behavior (including safe riding practices and awareness of parking issues).
B. Informing scooter riders of University regulations.
C. Working with the University to find more workable solutions to this issue.

In summary, we would like to thank you for your consideration of our position and for your ongoing commitment to Carolina’s renown system of ecologically-friendly transportation.

Sincerely,
Brian Moynihan

Speaking on behalf of the 380 Petition Signers at UNCscooters.com and the 118 members of Facebook Group “Stop the New UNC Scooter Regulations”

Link to .doc version

At first glance the modified policy looks like an improvement: $24 for registration instead of $174 – $371 (until next year…) , and a promise of having secure parking. A closer look at what is being proposed, however, shows that the policy is still insufficient and problematic.

A quick look at UNC’s motorcycle parking map shows that there are few places where motorcycles are able to park currently, and these already overcrowded lots are somehow going to be decked out with secure racks and accommodate hundreds of more scooters.

Also, the lower registration costs are just a ruse for them to pretend they have been listening to the over 375 Students, Faculty, Staff and Citizens who signed the petition to stop these ill-advised rules from being enacted in the first place. Scooter commuters will have to pay hundreds of dollars to register their space-saving, eco-friendly mode of transportation in the coming years. (see the BOT’s .ppt from 7/22/09) This regulation contradicts NC state law, that clearly distinguishes between motorcycles and scooters, and the policies of other nearby Universities. At Duke University scooters can register for free and they are *required* to park at bike racks. At NC State, scooters are free to park as they please, and registration costs are as low as $5. Why would UNC, which has been recognized as a leader in eco-friendly, progressive transporation, choose to punish a group that so clearly benefits the community at large?

Despite scores of letters and emails, despite over a hundred members of Facebook standing up against this, despite hundreds of signers to the online petition, the Board of Trustees still refused to communicate with the people of UNC, closed the public out of meetings where the issue was being discussed, and have not given scooter riders a voice in any of the decision-making process.

Verdict: The Board of Trustees still has a long way to go to prove that they value a sustainable transportation plan for campus, that they understand the space constraints facing UNC students, faculty and staff. The push to work for more sensible regulations is still on.

We can do better.

We propose:
-That scooter riders have a voice in the regulations that are being written about them, both now and in the future.

-That the University realize that the spaces given in the current motorcycle parking are insufficient, and that alternative choices (such as allowing scooters to park at bike racks, or at least opening up the range of places where they can park) are necessary.

Scooter commuters, stand firm!

Email the Board Members and let them know how you feel!

MSNBC linked to the local NBC news coverage.

The John Locke Foundation also covered the issue from the perspective of folks who are opposed to regulatory excess.

Internationalist Books passed on word of the scooter in their June 22 newsletter.

The Twittersphere, news aggregators and some scattered scooter message boards, blogs and  stores have also spread the news.

In any case, we’re hopeful that the Board of Trustees are going to make the right decision and modify the regulations so that scooters aren’t treated like motorcyles with all of the problems that would entail, and rather focus on the much more important issue of keeping scooters from riding on sidewalks.

Let us walk them to the bikeracks!

Update: The Chapel Hill News suppported our position in their “Roses and raspberries” sesction, and the results of the BOT meeting were covered in the UNC Gazette.

Update 2: Post- BOT meeting there were a number of articles that came out. Here’s one from the School of Information and Library Science.

July 20, 2009

Click here if you want to see the full-size image.

Scooter parked at UNC Chapel Hill

UNC is about to pass a law that will force you to pay money for an inconvenient, unsecure parking spot. Wake up and take action!

Sign our petition!