Hingham, MA
There has been a big debate going on here over scooter parking. To keep it going, Jeff has submitted a couple scooter-related parking incidents and offers his wisdom.
“OK. This time the van next to me is clearly over the line. Whether you agree that scooters should be allowed on Earth at all and in parking spots by extension, you should be able to agree that the van is not rocking but is certainly knocking on the space next to my scoot.”
badparking.wordpress.com 
Wow. I really feel for you. Make sure the van’s door doesn’t ding your scooter!
Hasn’t been tipped over yet. But people see these things as toys and are compelled to touch them and sometimes even MOVE them.
What if a scooterist jumped in your car, put the car in neutral and rolled it to a new spot or put it out of the way so they could take your spot?
Seems ludicrous, but the opposite happens all the time. Drivers move scooters because they think they don’t have a right to a full-size spot.
Jeff
Unfortunately many people just don’t realize that Scooters are just small motorcycles. My scooter can reach speeds of 75MPH and is fully treated as a street legal vehicle. As such, I am required BY LAW to use a full parking spot just like a car. Yes its silly, no I don’t need all that space. But the law says thats what I have to do. Just because I’m not using the space doesn’t give others the right to invade that space. What happens if I leave that space, and a car tries to use it after me? That van would be in the way.
In Seattle, until last week, it was LEGAL to move a scooter from its parking space to put a car into that space. Theses led to now “illigally” parked scooters, <–Illegal because people that moved them moved them onto the sidewalk on not real parking spots. Getting tickets. Thankfully it is now illegal to move a scooter in Seattle. A whopping $38 fine…
Not accusing, but curious — the previous entry says it’s legal to park these things (if the engine is under a certain size) on the sidewalk. So, do you take a full parking space when there’s no sidewalk, or just whenever you want to? Either way, I agree that it’s beyond rude for others to move it.
Speaking to the parking job of the van whether I am scootering or driving my car it always makes me grumble when I see someone who parks that way or wrose than that. Its just an example of lack of civility to be so self absorbed, rude, or lazy or all three to not take a few extra seconds and make sure you are not taking up more than one parking space! All to often there aren’t enough to go around and taking up two is just plain rude.
As far as parking on the sidewalk the law varies from one city to the next but if I can park on the sidewalk I will since it is usually closer to the door, and makes the likelyhood my scooter will be messed with just a tad bit smaller.
The distinction is the size of the engine. In the dual photo, the scoot on the sidewalk is a 50cc engine. The scoot on the street is a 125cc engine.
The 50cc can legally park on the sidewalk and is allowed to travel in bike lanes and is treated pretty much like a bike.
The 125cc is required to behave as a motorcycle or car and cannot park on the sidewalk.
Therefore the one on the sidewalk is legal and the one in the gutter is illegal.
In every other scooter shot here (with my scooter anyhow) I am required to park like a car.
Thanks for asking. Even the meter people and the police aren’t clear yet on this. And with gas prices high and scooter sales through the roof, they’re trying to figure out how to deal with sidewalks that are becoming covered with motorized vehicles parked there legally.
And also how to deal with irate cagers (car drivers – it’s a cage) who think a scooter should be up on the sidewalk and out of their way.
Jeff
It’s a problem that will have to be addressed. Vespa reported a huge increase in sales in the U.S. over the past year.
Bicycles, too. Roads (and parking lots) are barely made for cars, let alone scooters, motorcycles and bicycles.
Although there are a lot of crappy, rude, and inconsiderate drivers out there, referring to all people who drive a car as “cagers” certainly isn’t winning you any points in my book. It just shows that you’re as condescending and rude as they are, just in a different way.
If you want them to be better, then start with yourself.
Thanks for the lecture brodie. The term cager isn’t derogatory, it’s factual as anyone in a car (excluding convertibles) is enclosed in a cage.
I only used it in my comment because I heard it for the first time this June when I bought my scooter.
You’ll find that most scooterists are BOTH cagers and scooterists, while most cagers/car drivers are not scooterists.
Not that the distinction means either can degrade the other with impunity. But it does mean that scooterists possess the perspective of a driver as well as that of a scooterist. And car drivers do not.
Which is primarily the reason a person in a car might misunderstand why a scooter is parked in a space that “would be better used for a whole car.”
Just to clarify. Didn’t mean any negativity with the term.
Jeff
If the term is not derogatory, then why use it at all? Why use a term that carries with it a negative connotation (“cage” is rarely interpreted as a positive thing), and requires explanation? The very fact that it requires justification speaks volumes.
Also, if, as you claim, most scooter riders are also car drivers, then how can you assume that a car driver does not have a scooter that they ride, as well? You assume that if they are driving a car, that it is their only vehicle, when you freely admit that some scooter riders also drive a car. How do you know that the people in these pics didn’t also own a scooter? You assume that if they did, they wouldn’t be rude, which is a pretty narrow-minded leap of faith.
You are stereotyping and trying to pigeonhole people into your predetermined views about them. This makes you just as rude as them. Just in a different way.
But go ahead and dismiss this as a “lecture” again instead of taking what I say to heart. I’m just saying that you’re not doing your “cause” any favors, and you’re making scooter riders look like a bunch of a self-righteous, elitist jerks.
Also, just a thought about the bad parker: did you ever think that maybe they parked like that without any concern for the type of vehicle next to them? As this site shows, people will park like that whether the car next to them is a car, truck, scooter, motorcycle, van, or police cruiser. If they’re parking like that, they obviously don’t care about the person next to them.
The most likely explanation is that this person is just an oblivious jerk, and it has nothing to do with the fact that you ride a scooter.
Brodie:
It’s just logical: the vast majority of driving is done in cars/trucks/vans/SUVs. Very few scooters exist in comparison. Therefore, the vast majority of cagers do not own scooters. And, a large number of scooterists DO own cars.
It’s just good defensive driving to assume that the cars around you on the road are not aware of the unique circumstances faced by scooter operators. The same ideas are taught to motorcyclists, such as “assume other drivers can’t see you.”
Concerning your statement “If the term is not derogatory, then why use it at all?,” I ask you: why should it be improper to use a term that isn’t derogatory?
See in the first paragraph, where I wrote “cars/trucks/vans/SUVs”? It’s very cumbersome. In the context of a scooter conversation, it’s nice to be able to use a word like “cager” to avoid confusion and tedium.
For the record, I am a “cager,” and you can’t pay me to ride on a motorcycle or anything smaller.
Lastly, I agree with you – the bad parking in question very likely had nothing to do with the presence of a scooter. Just another parking-impaired dolt.
Hello can of worms and misperceptions.
Brodie, I said MOST in my earlier note when talking about cagers vs scooterists.
And if you remove the scooter from the photo, you’re right, the person is still a bad parker. I may have started out on a more defensive note – or an explanatory note – because the recent issue/topic has been whether a scooter should even be in a full spot.
Now that we’re back to bad parkers – whether they be scooterists, cagers, priests or paparazzi – I agree that if a person is a bad parking maven, they are definitely oblivious of their surroundings and their lack of parking ability. Unless they are just malicious in their bad-parking habits.
And you may have missed the ‘sarcasm’ emoticon I put on my earlier post. I was being sarcastic with the word LECTURE. I felt that you were coming off a bit strong in your opinion, but that’s what makes this forum great.
From my perch, in my cage or on my scoot, I am an elitist (and I bet you are too). Because I realize I can park better than most people AND I possess the where-with-all to recognize the parking-challenged among us.
*I bought the scooter to pretend I was European, not to save on gas or to gain access to rock-star parking. But neither of those benefits is anything to shrug at.
Jeff
http://www.thingstoworryabout.com
sitboaf:
You could use “automobile.” Or “driver” for the person behind the wheel, since I assume (perhaps incorrectly) that scooter operators, like motorcyclists, don’t refer to themselves as “drivers.”
Just my perceptions on it. Like I said “cage” usually carries with it certain negative connotations, so referring to someone as a “cager” could also be interpreted negatively.
Jeff:
Sorry, I tend to be a bit aggressive with my discussions…. Like I explained above, I just think that “cager” could carry negative connotations with it. I, personally, would just use “driver” or something when referring to an operator of a non-scooting vehicle 🙂
Agreed. “Driver” and “automobile” are both “word(s) like cager,” as I wrote. The word “cager” has a unique quality in that it also means “non-motorcyclist,” as well. Handy for scooter and motorcycle discussions.
I had not heard the term “cager” until very recently, myself. Do I feel it has a negative connotation? Perhaps a little. But then, they’re riding on tiny, colorful cycles. I think it’s part of an inferiority complex.
😉