December 1, 2003
Bike path policy clarified: Mopeds, motorized
bikes OK
By Louise Donahue
Bicycles, mopeds, motorized bicycles, and motorized scooters are OK,
but forget the horses, people-powered razor scooters, and skateboards.
Thats the word on bike path access from campus police and Transportation
and Parking Services (TAPS).
The policy has not changed recently but has been clarified following
apparent confusion about the rules.
Bicyclists have complained that motorized scooters and cycles
have been using the path, in what they assume to be a violation of UCSC
regulations, said TAPS director Wes Scott in a memo jointly distributed
by campus police and TAPS to those making complaints.
In 1999, the California state legislature asked local jurisdictions
throughout the state to adopt the same general rules as those in the
current California Vehicle Code for use of motorized scooters and electric
bicycles on streets and bike paths.
In 2000, UCSC changed its statute to allow use of those vehicles on
its bike path.
Use of such a transportation mode does remove cars from both
our congested roads and our over-stressed parking facilities,
Scotts memo stated.
Campus police captain Robert Jones said he realizes many bicyclists
value a quiet ride on the bike paths, but emphasized that this is a
safety issue. Jones, who rewrote the campus bike path access rules in
2000, said riders of motorized bicycles or mopeds are at risk sharing
narrow roads with automobiles, buses, and trucks. These folks
need to have a safe place to ride.
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