Oak Bluffs voters decided to clamp down on moped rentals after a fairly quiet town meeting on Tuesday evening.
In a 68-6 vote, residents decided to restrict moped rentals to individuals with drivers licenses and to prohibit passengers from riding on the back of the vehicles. The votes were cast during the Oak Bluffs special town meeting on Tuesday night at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Performing Arts Center.
Moped rentals have been a contentious issue on the Vineyard for decades, spurred on by a number of tragic and gruesome accidents. The Oak Bluffs select board decided to bring the issue to voters after Islanders highlighted the heightened risk of an accident with a passenger riding on the back. A measure to require motorcycle licenses was also introduced by State Rep. Thomas Moakley in the state legislature earlier this year, which is still under review.
On town meeting floor Tuesday, Oak Bluffs resident Steve Auerbach called for stronger penalties for violations of the bylaw. As written, the first violation in a year can lead to a week’s business license suspension and a $50 fine with stronger penalties to follow for subsequent violations.
“The penalties are very weak,” Auerbach said.
Town administrator Deborah Potter and town counsel Michael Goldsmith both said there were state limitations on the penalties that can be imposed on the rental companies.
No representatives of the moped shops spoke during the meeting.
The newly approved changes also drops the count of moped rental business licenses Oak Bluffs can issue from five to three — the same as the number of rental shops currently in the town. The number of vehicle registration decals that can be issued to these businesses, meaning the number of mopeds shops collectively can have, has also been decreased from 308 to 178 per year.
Voters also approved a few clerical changes to the moped article in a 75-5 vote, with one abstention.
The town also used the special town meeting as a test run with voting clickers. The town clerk will decide whether to use them during the annual town meeting. But there were some technical issues early into Tuesday evening and many voters’ clickers needed to be swapped for working ones, including four-fifths of the select board. Aquinnah select board member Chris Manning, whose town was the first on the Vineyard to adopt clickers for town meeting, helped in the trial.
Still, voters stated in an 67-9 impromptu straw vote that they wanted to use the clickers again (9 abstained).
Meanwhile, voters speedily approved the remaining warrant articles without discussion, although some clarifying questions were addressed by town officials. These articles consisted of bylaw amendments, such as clerical updates for the wetlands regulations, or related to town bodies and personnel –– for example, changing the title of harbormaster to “marina manager,” and recodifying the capital improvement committee bylaw.
No articles were voted down on Tuesday.
Good on you, Oak Bluffs voters! Incredible that previously no driver’s license was required to rent a moped! It’s a wonderful there weren’t more accidents
Unfortunately i believe the regulations just passed by the town are probably going to be found invalid by the State laws passed years ago
For mopeds. At any rate they never take into account whai i consider to be a much more dangerous situation with electric bikes, boards, and other vehicles being used by adults and more importantly children who are completely ignorant of the laws and their personal safety.
Without dealing with the entirety of the situation
All at once from the State down i feel this venture will be ineffective and sadly lead to further injuries.
Respectfully, I’d like to offer a data based perspective for E bikes on Martha’s Vineyard.
Safety matters, and responsible riding is expected. But E bikes provide clear benefits, especially for year round and senior residents.
A 2023 National Institute for Transportation and Communities study found E bike users replace car trips 35 to 50% of the time.
On the Vineyard, where congestion, limited parking, and narrow roads are constant concerns, that shift matters. Fewer cars improve safety, cut emissions, and ease pressure in busy village centers.
AARP notes that 60% of older adults struggle with traditional bikes, yet many ride E bikes comfortably. They can stay active, volunteer, run errands, and enjoy nature without needing a car.
Research in the Journal of Transport and Health finds E bike use provides physical and mental health benefits comparable to traditional cycling.
A 2024 PeopleForBikes analysis found E bike injury rates similar to regular bikes when rules are followed. The issue is rider behavior, not the technology. Clearer speed limits, signage, and rider education are smarter than restricting E bikes themselves.
Used responsibly, E bikes are clean, quiet, and empowering, helping Islanders remain independent and engaged. They fit the Vineyard well.
As an oldster, I give this comment two thumbs up.
Dan– I understand your concerns, but this is at least a step in the right direction. As for the e-bikes— Yes, there are all manner of things darting around on the roads with people on them who don’t have a clue I recently say a kid who couldn’t have been more than 14 doing wheelies on the sidewalk in V.H. with his electric vehicle. But many of them are privately owned, and you can’t fix stupid. There are laws about these things, and the police departments are having a hard time with enforcement. But in terms of e- bike rentals, (and we are talking about rentals here) All e-Bike rentals on the island are restricted to class 1 e-bikes, which have a maximum speed of 20 mph and are pedal assist only, or class 2 which are pedal assist or you can use a throttle , which also have a maximum speed of 20 mph. As far as I know, there are no places on the island where you can rent one of those stand up scooters. I do encourage the police to enforce current laws more aggressively. Before we have some tragedies, please.
Requiring a license for operation is a non-negligible. As should be requiring identification to vote in elections.
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