Modern Vespa

For those owners in the United States, do you park and chain up your scooters at the bike racks at your local malls and supermarkets? Do you get pushback from local authorities? I imagine as these are considered private property they would need to have the owner's approval to write the ticket, no?

Nope, I park my scoots just like my cars, in parking spots. People don't look kindly about parking scooters to bike racks here in Va.

I park in a motor vehicle parking space in the parking lot, and/or street parking perpendicular to the curb if no lot is available.

I do not park deep in the space so that cars will see the bike and not think it's an empty spot. I try to leave enough space so another motorbike can share if they so choose.

If I have reason to believe the bike could be hassled, I use my disk lock.

I've never considered parking with bicycles on the sidewalk, but I know people do it. My guess is with all of the large motorcycle looking e-bikes, that line is blurred a bit.

I have drove my scooter up on the side walk and parked next to the bike racks. No problem. I think most folks are glad I am not taking up a whole car parking space. The underfunded and over worked local cops don't seem to care.

There are clearly posted signs on bike trails indicating no motorized vehicles allowed.

Bob in Minnesota

Here in Minnesota, only mopeds (*) are allowed to park on sidewalks and at bike racks.

(*) Moped: no more than 50cc engine with restrictions on speed and horsepower.

solved!

That doesn't quite solve it. License plates for mopeds say "MOPED"; others, including scooters over 50cc, say "MOTORCYCLE". Moped plates won't be issued unless the bike meets all the requirements for a moped, though sometimes one slips though. Also, as Copeland says, most of the time the parking police don't seem to notice or care.

The last time I parked on the sidewalk and locked my bike to a pole was in the 90's in SF. Parking really depends on the venue and/or the city. For instance with Costco, I just pull up on the large sidewalk, where no one seems to care. Other places I will park in motorcycle parking if any is available, or else I will park in the spaces with the cars. I always park on the rearward part of the parking space, so cars don't come charging in not seeing my bike if it's parked forward. I live in a safe area, so I don't usually feel the need to throw a lock on the vehicle, but if I'm heading to Oakland- that's a whole different story- if I even decide to ride a 2-wheeler there!

In Ohio, you can park scooters <= 150cc on a sidewalk as long as it does not impede pedestrian traffic. I've parked on sidewalks and large concrete aprons in front of stores without issue. I just make sure I've parked "out of the way" - which could be a bit ambiguous.

That is per section B of Ohio Revised code 4511.68

https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4511.68#:~:text=(B)%20A%20person%20is%20permitted,%2Ddriven%20cycle%2C%20motor%20scooter%2C

'Mopeds' have pedals on a rotating crank, like a bicycle.

(Says the old guy who remembers what a real moped was before the lazy weenies went and redefined the term to describe all scooters).

That's a city law. That doesn't matter on private property only city or state property. On private property, it's up to the owner to allow or disallow it.

After posting this, I emailed the owner and operators of the mall (Simon Property Group) here in Florida and asked if they would allow scooters to park at the bike racks on the sidewalks on their property and tonight I was emailed back with permission to do so.

GTSs go in a parking spot here. I've never been bothered.

Mo-ped = motorised pedal bike so strictly speaking an electric pedal bike is a moped and no scooter is.
Yes and then politicians go fiddle with the definitions. Now a 49cc scooter maxed at 40 km/h is a moped and a bicycle with the electric assistance limited to 25 km/h is not
To add to the confusion there are a good lot of electric scooters over here, Many which are NSM Vespa replicas.



Some are limited to moped speed/power, some to 125cc speed/power, some unlimited motorbike level, legally tailored to the various drivers permits. The ´moped´ ones can be identified by the moped license plate.
The ways of the ruling class are

Whether allowed or not imo in prínciple bicycle racks should be left for bicycles and I do not like occupying a car space with my scoot nor park on the sidewalk which in theory is for pedestrians.
In daily use though it is all flexible.
Last month I only júst got away with a fine about my scoot parked out of anywhichway in the gutter on the side street of a bar terrace. It turned out there is a motor-parking 15 meters on which I did no see
The waitress alerted me and the not friendly looking but friendly enough copper stopped writing and allowed me to wheel the scoot to the appropriate spot.

I too park on the sidewalk without issue. I have wondered though if ever an enthusiastic cop were to ticket me would I be in trouble? My Primavera 150 is actually 157cc's. Think the judge would believe it is 150 nominal?

Until then, you find my scoot near the building…

Chris from CLE

Shopping at a large parking lot facility, I always park my GTS300 up by the front door out of the way on the sidewalk. Have not had a problem. Most of these facilities do not even have parking policy like malls do.

As mentioned above, I do insure I am not blocking any free passage of pedestrians. You kind of worry that hey would kick your scoot over if it was in their way.

I also do park in the parking lot and follow the already stated technique of parking far enough out in the spot so cars can see and not pull in fast and hit me.

Bob Copeland

I like the triangular 'dead spots' at the ends of the rows.

From previous discussions here, and my own logic, I'll pull my 150 up on the sidewalk in front of a store if there's a good spot, but my GTS parks with the cars...not my dream world, but until we get PTW parking spaces, it's what it is....

I've been parking next to the flag pole for over 10 years at my local Walmart.

I'm with jimc. I park in the end triangle of the parking spaces at my Wal-Mart. Another benefit is I can chain-up to the handicapped sign. I make sure not to block any right of way of anyone while doing so. I have used bicycle racks on a rare occasion with no issue. Nowadays I rarely ride outside of commuting to my job. At work we have motorcycle parking, and since its a very secure facility there is no need to lock-up. You can even leave your key in the ignition, my work is that secure.

I once broke my foot trying to park on the sidewalk. I was duck-walking because I didn't wanna be the dick riding through a pedestrian area. (I would normally park on the street, but the streets were unfamiliar and potentially sketchy in that area.)

The irony is that I got a lot more comfortable parking on the sidewalk that summer. With a broken foot, the Vespa became a de facto accessibility device. I'd park right at the door of wherever I was going, instead of limping to the nearest street parking.

In San Francisco, you could legally park on the sidewalk so long as you were under a bay window etc. The property lines were defined at the farthest jut from the buildings, so the city had no jurisdiction if you parked close enough to the building.