Letter to the Board of Trustees

Dear Chairman Perry and University Trustees:

We write as concerned members of the Carolina community to urge you to vote against the proposal by the Parking Services division of UNC Public Safety to reclassify scooters and mopeds as motorcycles for campus parking purposes. The changes being proposed are inefficient and do not represent the vision of environmentally-conscious transportation that UNC could be promoting. They inadequately address the problem they were purportedly introduced to correct, and do not offer a comprehensive response to the broader range of traffic and safety issues raised by the increasing number of scooter-riders on campus. Further, the immediately foreseeable effects of the new regulations directly contradict long-term University transportation and conservation goals and promise to create a host of new problems—including, a shortage of legal parking for all motorized two-wheel vehicles and an intensified risk of theft (for which the university would potentially be held liable). As well, we are surprised and disappointed with the lack of transparency that accompanied the proposal’s origin, and with the disorganization, misinformation and resistance to public input that the organizing parties at Parking Services and elsewhere have demonstrated over the previous months as they worked toward its implementation. As citizens of Chapel Hill and the University community, we expect more from our public institutions and, especially, from UNC. We ask you, the Trustees, to reject the misguided notion that scooter operation can be effectively managed through parking regulations alone. UNC and its scooter riders deserve a policy that is intelligent, effective and ecologically aware; that has been well-publicized and publicly-vetted; and that is, in these ways and others, in keeping with the standards that define our university.

Scooters with engines smaller than 50cc are energy-efficient transportation that people use to reduce their carbon footprint and save time and money commuting. These vehicles, having small frames and engines, average between 60 and 100 miles per gallon. The state of North Carolina treats scooters as bicycles, not requiring them to be registered or plated; hence, they can park at bike racks legally. By deviating from the state’s decision, the new policy would limit the number of spaces available to scooters, require riders to park further from their classrooms and offices, and potentially increase commuting time by exacerbating competition over parking spaces. By thus undermining the advantages of commuting by scooter rather than car—cost savings; guaranteed, more convenient parking; less time spent commuting (hence, more time spent in offices and classrooms)—the proposed regulations eliminate the incentive to ride scooters, thereby encouraging car-based commuting. The EPA has rated our university a “Best Workplace for Commuters” for the last 6 years because of our support for ecologically sound alternative transportation, and it would be a mistake to refute these accolades.

Motorcycle parking is inappropriate for scooters: (1) Security issues – generally weighing less than 200 lbs, scooters are easy to steal. They need to be locked to something and/or not parked where vans or trucks can be driven up to them. Motorcycle spots do not have these requirements. Many of us have already experienced the on-campus theft which this policy would encourage. (2) There are not enough spaces for both motorcycles and scooters. This will affect motorcycle riders too, adding to their commutes, and potentially encouraging unsafe crowding. If they are to park together, the University needs to ensure the scooters will have proper security and should do a study to see the number of spaces currently required, and to project future demand. This is the only way to avoid creating a problem that extends beyond scooter riders into other constituencies.

The stated reason for the reclassification is to keep scooters off sidewalks and pedestrian walkways. This is a legitimate safety concern. However, there are many easier and more effective ways to handle it. First, bicycle rules (which properly apply to scooters) already require that scooters/bicycles be walked on sidewalks. We who have organized against the newly proposed policies support the enforcement of this older policy, and are committed to adhering to it. And, should increasing ridership bring to light multiple ambiguities regarding how and where scooters may be operated, as seems likely, a group should be convened (including faculty, staff and student scooter riders as well as representatives from public safety) to draw up a broad set of regulations, and then publicize, and enforce them. Parking is one only piece of a much bigger issue that should be addressed in an intelligent, consistent, comprehensive way.

Good policy-making depends on open communication, consultation and cooperation between stakeholders. For this reason, we are especially disheartened by the failure of Parking Services and the Board of Trustees to solicit public input earlier in this process and by the general lack of transparency that has surrounded the decision to implement the proposed regulations. The scooter- (and indirectly, motorcycle-) riders who are now being asked to pay for less certain, less convenient, and less secure parking under already tightened economic circumstances are Carolina faculty, staff and students. We ask that the Trustees direct Parking Services to seek volunteers from all involved constituencies and convene a committee to discuss and draw up a comprehensive set of recommendations for scooter/moped operation and parking on campus. Until then, we appeal to the Board to reject the changes currently on the table. By creating a disincentive to use these time and energy-efficient vehicles to get to class and work, the reclassification and rules being proposed undermine, rather than advance, the University’s transportation goals.

We write on behalf of the over 350 concerned parties who have signed the petition at www.uncscooters.com, collectively opposing the new policy as environmentalists, scooter advocates, community members, and Tar Heels. This group, through its associated Facebook group, has encouraged its members to respectfully voice their concerns. We welcome any questions you might have for our group and look forward to your consideration at that time. Let’s work together to make UNC a leader in green transportation.

Sincerely,
The Collected Signers of the UNCscooters.com petition;
The Members of Facebook group “Stop the New UNC Scooter Policy”

See also: Article on Fuel Efficiency and Scooting [Jonathan Welsh, “Born to be... Fuel Efficient,” Wall Street Journal Online, May 21, 2008, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121131620487908103.html]