At a special town meeting in November, Oak Bluffs could have the opportunity to outlaw passengers on rental mopeds, and allow them to be rented only to licensed individuals.
The Oak Bluffs Select Board, while formalizing a measure to go to voters this fall, solicited feedback on Tuesday from the public on whether the amendments should be added to the town’s existing moped bylaw.
The potential warrant article was not finalized at the meeting, but board members seem likely to give voters the option to institute the ban in November.
The board highlighted that while there are limitations to how the town can make riding mopeds safer — it can’t supersede state laws — members were keen on allowing rentals only to licensed individuals, and banning passengers from riding on the back of the vehicles. Town officials are also considering further limiting the number of mopeds a business can rent out.
Over the past decades, Vineyarders have decried mopeds as dangerous, particularly because they are rented to tourists, many of whom are inexperienced drivers. The outcry has been heightened over accidents the past few summers causing moped injuries, notably after a Florida woman died last year. At the state level, state Rep. Thomas Moakley has filed legislation, currently before the Joint Committee on Transportation, that would require motorcycle licenses to drive mopeds — a measure supported by Oak Bluffs officials.
The higher risks that come with having a passenger riding on the back of a moped were stressed by the board. Board member Thomas Hallahan said the heavier load makes the moped less stable, and the driver could be influenced by the passenger’s behavior. He also said accidents involving two-seat mopeds have “much more severe [injury] results” than single-seat mopeds.
“You don’t know how people are going to react in [a] time of fear,” Hallahan said. “Some people run to, some people run away. Some people will lean to the right, some will [lean] to the left.”
Members of the public applauded the proposal, saying many of the accidents over the years could have been avoided if there hadn’t been a passenger on the back.
Nicole Brisson, who was active with the Mopeds Are Dangerous Action Committee in 2017, said the idea of banning passengers has been raised before. She expects the number of mopeds on the roads will also be reduced if the proposed change is implemented, because some people will not be comfortable driving on their own. “It is not about reducing the number of mopeds. It’s about increasing road safety,” Brisson said.
Timothy Rich, former Chilmark Police chief, and chair of the action committee, gave a series of recommendations for an amended moped bylaw, including language explicitly saying moped rental shops need the minimum insurance coverage for bodily harm and property damage.
The only person who cautioned against the proposed bylaw amendment was Todd Rebello, a former Oak Bluffs Select Board member who’s been working with moped rental shop operators.
Rebello said he doesn’t disagree with the moped issues highlighted by Hallahan. But he questioned whether the amended bylaw, if approved, would pass muster under the state attorney general — particularly over possible increased limitation of rentals — and called for the town to work with the rental shop owners more to potentially find “other avenues.”
Dion Alley, board chair, underscored that changes to Oak Bluffs’ moped regulation will ultimately come down to town voters. “If you’re for it, or against it, whatever it is, you need to come out … to the special town meeting,” Alley said.
Oak Bluffs will be holding its special town meeting on Nov. 4 at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s Performing Arts Center. The board will be reviewing warrant articles on Sept. 23, and the town has an Oct. 7 deadline to have the proposed bylaw amendments added to the town meeting warrant.
Electric bikes going over 10 mph are mopeds
No, electric bicycles that go no more than 20 mph with it without a throttle are classified as electrified bicycles and have their own legal standards because they go well below 35 mph and have less than 750 watts/1 horsepower.
A reasonably in shape cyclist can ride a regular bicycle at 20 mph or more and can generate well over 750 watts of power.
One major issue is speed enforcement.
When mopeds go faster, they make it more difficult for cars to pass them safely, because the car needs more time in the opposing traffic lane. This contributes heavily to the safety issue–and of course, faster speeds are generally more dangerous overall. It’s easy to pass someone walking on the side of the road; it’s harder to pass a bike going 15mph; and it is much more difficult to pass a pair of mopeds going 30.
Mopeds are limited by statute to going 25mph, and cannot legally be *capable* of exceeding 30 mph without a license. But we’ve all passed mopeds going faster than that.
Any rental moped exceeding 30 is the fault of the rental company. And any moped operator–private or rental–going over 25 is breaking the law.
If the police were to enforce those laws, I think we’d find the moped popularity would drop significantly.