Calling all scooter riders at VCU:

Did you know?

The VCU police have recently (May 2008) begun ticketing any scooters that are parked on the sidewalk including at bike racks!  The ticket is $25.  They have threatened that a second offense will result in tow of the vehicle.  They have threatened that if they see anyone riding a scooter on the sidewalk, that person will receive a reckless driving ticket.  This is a serious offense that can result in:  up to 12 months in jail, up to a $2,500 fine, and a possible loss of your Virginia driving privilege for up to six months.  This stays on your record for 7 years.

This is a NEW response to laws that obviously are already in place - no motorized vehicles on the sidewalk.  There was no announcement that they were going to change the policy.  Scooters have been parked on the sidewalk for 2 years with no problem.  SUPPOSEDLY there have been "many" complaints about people riding scooters in an unsafe way on the sidewalks.  I frankly don't believe this but anyway that is the justification for this change in policy.

So according to the VCU police, you can only park these vehicles in the same places that you can park a car.  In fact they suggested to me that I park in the VCU lots.  BUT the VCU parking & Transportation Services cannot issue a parking sticker unless the vehicle has a license plate.  NICE catch-22.  VCU (university parking) is making NO allowance for parking these scooters.  Note you really cannot park these scooters anywhere but on the street (parking meter, etc) at the moment.  
Gee I have time to run down every two hours and put money in a meter or move my vehicle, and continue to perform this 2 hour ritual every single day - don't you????  Let alone the fact that if you can even find an available meter around the MCV campus during the day, you TRULY have won the lottery!

If  you agree with me that it is unfair that VCU provides NO acceptable parking for these vehicles, then email me.  Let's band together to do something about this.   Let's request spaces at every VCU lot that do NOT cost as much as a car sticker, since these vehicles take up about 1/5 of the space of a car vehicle. 

The VCU health system parking office is different from the university parking office.  An official at the health system parking office told me that you may currently park a scooter in the motorcycle designated spots of the visitor parking lot on the MCV campus.  I think this is on the upper deck.  I have not checked this out myself.  This extremely nice official said that they will consider the scooters bicycles and therefore not require stickers or payment of any kind.  Shouldn't the VCU university parking system also adopt this policy??? 

Of course this is a POLICY not a clear freedom indicated by law.  As such this policy can change at any time.  I suspect that if all of the people that have been parking scooters near Sanger Hall suddenly started parking in the visitor deck that the policy there would change too.  

Also be aware that obviously the VCU police believe that the best way to respond to a change in policy is not to announce it or give warnings but rather to IMMEDIATELY slap you with a $25 ticket.  They are so helpful and kind to the community, aren't they?  Certainly they are effective tax collectors.

More info about scooter types and the reckless driving offense:

Currently in VA a scooter that has an engine size greater than 50 cc is required to be registered and get a license plate.  The VCU police have also threatened that they intend to ticket these vehicles that do not have license plates.  WHY?  Because they can.  Click here for another possible explanation.
Note that they must see you driving the unregistered vehicle.  They cannot ticket an unregistered vehicle parked on either public property or private property.  This fact is the result of a great fight and win by the little guy against an unthinking, often illogical machine that is our bureaucracy - see the report on Great VA Parking Ticket Battle by clicking here.

Note that an electric bike CAN be driven on the sidewalk.  Click here to download this Federal law that supersedes any state and local laws.  I believe this means they also have to let us park the electric bikes at normal bike racks.

My comments about the Reckless Driving Offense in Virginia:

I received a reckless driving ticket in VA a number of years ago.  The amazing part to me was the fact the officer TOLD me at court that he was not going to ticket me as a result of my actions that caused him to stop me, but he ONLY gave me the ticket because I was so angry after he stopped me.  INCREDIBLE.  What this makes clear to me is that there is an extreme spectrum of opportunity for these people to act as they like.  To exert their power when and where they FEEL like it.  This ticket did not make VA streets safer.  It did teach me a lesson.  You cannot win against these people.  They will exert their authority when and how they feel like it and you WILL pay for it.

I was lucky and grateful that thanks to my lawyer and my spotless driving record that I got no jail time or expensive fine.  Of course my attorney fee was $750, so that was a fine in and of itself.  One aspect of getting no jail time or fine was that I had to bow down and essentially kiss the feet of the officer at court.  I had to admit that he was the big authority man and I was nobody and should never have 'crossed' him. 

Here is what I did to cause the officer to stop me in the first place:   I was behind what I later found out to be an unmarked cop car.  The person was CLEARLY talking on a cell phone and therefore driving very very slow and not paying attention to the road.  For the first quarter mile we were on a street with only one lane - so I had to follow behind him- I couldn't pass.  I followed with about 1 car length between us.  If he had stopped suddenly I certainly STILL could have stopped my car without hitting him, since we were driving < 5 mph.  Then we came to the part of the road where there was a second lane.  I got into the second (right lane).  I brought my speed up - but still LESS than the speed limit.  I passed him at about the time he was finishing his phone call.  When I was ~3 car lengths in front of him, I got back into the left lane BECAUSE I needed to turn left in a few blocks.  That's it.  That's what I did.  He told me at court that he only planned to stop me to tell me to be careful because some people in Richmond will shoot you if you do that.  REALLY?   REALLY?  Well some people in Richmond will shoot you if you look at them wrong.  We live with these dangers every day - it is a dangerous city - thanks police.

A final note on this situation.  I'd just like you to consider the extreme possibilities that could have resulted from this situation:  #1 Driving school and its associated fees, but no actual fine.  #2 A YEAR IN JAIL AND $2500 fine.  For most people a year in jail means the loss of their job.  For most people the loss of their job means they sell or lose their house.  From almost no punishment to homeless and jobless????  Should there really be this much leeway?  Don't you find it incredible that I could have lost essentially my whole life because I got angry that even a cop was not paying attention to the road and that I was being stopped because he was driving poorly?  Let's disregard the fact that he was driving worse than me - clearly they get special treatment.

If we do not stand up to these extremes what kind of people do we become?  There will always be a struggle between freedom and safety.  The world would be safer place if some people (even some officials) were tied to chairs.  However, I personally don't recommend this strategy as a good way to live.  Let us hope that some day soon we will see more of a balance between freedom and safety.

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY - click here to see the email that I sent to the cop who gave me a ticket on my scooter in the location where I have been parking my scooter for 2 years.    Please note that this email was inspired by Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report.  AND yes it made me feel better - a lot better.

Another possible reason for the recent change in policy:  
The fact that there are many more scooters around VCU means that this is now a great new revenue source from parking tickets and other offenses.  Do you naively believe that such a fact plays no role in the new policy??

My goal with this page is to make VCU a better place, as well as to promote the rights of those individuals that choose to conserve gas by driving/riding more gas efficient vehicles.  Kudos to those that already ride vehicles that require no gas.

This page does not reflect an official position of Virginia Commonwealth University. 

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