Here We Go Again

I hate repeating myself, but that's the downside of living in a sleepy podunk like Plattsburgh. Below is a copy of an email I just sent.


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mayor@cityofplattsburgh.com


Dear Mayor Kazprzak:

I wrote to you some time ago about people using electric scooters on the sidewalk. Tonight I was almost clipped by someone on one of these scooters. You don’t hear the scooter coming up from behind until it’s too late. This scooter had no lights. The woman just zipped by me on the sidewalk, barely giving me enough room.

Someone else with an electric scooter keeps showing up at a downtown coffeehouse during the daytime. I’m surprised that no police officers see this person racing down the sidewalk.

Unless the law has been changed, electric scooters are not permitted on either sidewalks or the roadway. Here is part of a press release issued by the NYS Dept. of Motor Vehicles:

"Though they may seem like toys, gas and electric scooters and pocket bikes are considered motor vehicles by the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law definition, and therefore cannot be operated on public roads without first being registered. However, because they don't meet state and federal safety and emissions requirements, they are too dangerous for road use and cannot be registered by DMV. They are therefore illegal to operate on public roads or sidewalks.”

The complete news release can be found at:

http://www.nysdmv.com/press/pr121404.htm

Please regard this email as my notification about the scooter problem to the City of Plattsburgh. It’s bad enough with bicyclists racing down the sidewalk, but these electric scooters are just as hazardous.

I would like to see something done about this matter before someone is hurt.

Sincerely,


Luke T. Bush