Getting around South Beach on a scooter

[Hover]

I have read most of the posts about cars and parking in South Beach.
Does anyone have an opinion about using a scooter or motorcycle to get around? Are they given any type of preferential parking status? How do you purchase a meter ticket and leave it on a scooter for parking enforcement to see? Are scooters/motorcycles allowed to park for free in between cars or in alleys temporarily? Any insight/info appreciated. Thanks.

Alex

[Michelle]

Hi Hover,

I'm not sure of the rules and regulations on scooter parking. I've thought about this recently since most parking spaces don't have meters anymore. Scooters seems to share spaces with cars. I always wondered if the meter is expired, do both vehicles get a ticket? Anyway, we will research this more and let you know.

I can tell you one thing, you will get a large ticket for parking on the sidewalk so that is never a good idea.

[Gus]

Don't forget to wear a helmet. I just read this in the Miami Herald:

http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/113750.html

Couple on moped hurt when they're hit by car

An unidentified man and woman were severely injured Monday morning when they were hit by a car while riding on a moped in Miami.

The couple was traveling on Northwest 54th Street about 9 a.m. when they were struck by a Toyota Corolla at the intersection of 54th Street and Northwest Seventh Ave.

Both the man and woman were ejected from the moped, the man landing about 25 feet away and the woman about 100 feet from the scene of the accident.

The pair was taken to Jackson Memorial's Ryder Trauma Center, where he was reported to be in severely critical condition and she was unresponsive.

Neither was wearing a helmet.

Scooter accidents are not uncommon on South Beach.

It's also not uncommon for scooters and bicycles to be stolen.

I'm checking in to the parking rules and regulations.

[Hover]

Hi Gus,
I read that article in the Herald the other day as well. I already know that a helmet should always be worn. I've been riding a motorcycle since I was 17 and you have to be careful out there.
I appreciate you looking into this. I look forward to what you can find out.

Alex

[Suzanne C]

Hi Hover....

Ever thought about a Segway?

The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing transportation device invented by Dean Kamen and unveiled in December 2001. It is produced by Segway Inc. of New Hampshire. The name "Segway" is a homophone of "segue" (a smooth transition, literally Italian for "follows"). PT is an initialism for personal transporter while the old acronym HT was an initialism for human transporter.

Computers and motors in the base keep the Segway upright at all times. Users lean forward to go forward, back to move backwards, and turn by leaning left and right. Segway PTs are driven by electric motors at up to 5.6 m/s (12.5 mph/20 km/h). Gyroscopes are used to detect departures from perfect balance. In laws that regulate it, the applicable category is sometimes called "electric personal assistive mobility device" (EPAMD).

The Segway is designed to replace larger forms of personal transportation such as automobiles. Kamen has stated that 500 million car trips per day in the United States are of less than 5 miles and single-passenger, and that if only a percentage of those used a tiny electric "car" instead, the positive effects could be considerable.[citation needed]

(as per Wikipedia)

Check out Segway.com (see:Brochure PDF.)

While I've never ridden on one, I've seen them around and it's definitely a good option for the Beach. One red flag though, they've been recalled twice!

[Hover]

Hi Suzy,
Thanks for the reply.
I have seen Segways around Fort Lauderdale before. They rent them at the beach for tourists to play with. Unfortunately, there are a few problems with the idea of using them for transportation.

1. They're slow (top speed 12mph).
2. They are not street legal - no signals, headlights, horn, licence plate etc. You are required to ride on the sidewalk and even then I'm not sure it's legal.
3. You can't carry anything with you.
4. You can't legally park it anywhere and even if you could it can almost be picked up and carried away by anyone. Looking at it, I can't see how you could even lock it to a post.
5. They are battery powered and if I had to travel from say Lincoln to 5th it would most likely run out of juice before I get back home to charge it up again.

I appreciate your thoughts. Once I move there I will follow up with my thoughts of getting around South Beach on some form of motorized 2 wheeler.
Keep up the good work at MB411.com.

Alex

[Maria de los Angeles]

Alex, there are designated areas for motorcycles in parking lots. I see mopeds put aside off medians, curbs and such all the time. I wonder if they get ticketed!

I have a friend who gets around on a scooter. I will ask her and get back to you.

[Maria de los Angeles]

Hello again Hover. Here is my friend's advice. She pretty much covered it all! And yes, please do wear a helmet! :)

it is very convenient getting around south beach on a scooter but keep in mind scooters are subject to same rules/regulations/laws as cars. caution: especially in south beach, my personal experience is most folks don't check their mirrors for their blindspots. a scooter CANNOT BE SEEN if the driver is not checking. one must be a defensive scooter driver, on the alert at all times. always ready to honk, always ready to brake therefore NO CELL PHONES ON A SCOOTER. use directional signals. though it is not usually enforced, protective eyewear is a law. as for parking, be aware scooters get parking tickets like cars. same price. no difference. my suggestion is try to park on the white line between parking spaces and make sure the cars have money in their meters. one can park on private property with permission from the owner. ask shopkeepers, etc., if it's ok. most will say yes if you are a patron of their establishment. it is NO FUN driving a scooter in the rain or even when it drizzles. scooters are very vulnerable to oil slicks. even on dry, sunny days. i drive on the tracks as set by car tires meaning i don't drive in the middle of the road but on either side to avoid any possible oil spots set down by cars. adviseable causeways are the venetian causeway, the jfk causeway (79th street), the 96th street causeway in bay harbor island. adviseable over ramps are at 63rd street and 163rd street. one can feel good about saving our precious fuel supply. no kids, EVER, on a scooter. drivers are ticketed for this. finally, when purchasing a brand new scooter one might consider theft insurance, though it's not law. when one purchases a scooter, whether new or used, have it fully registered and tagged. make sure to get the title, too. keep these up to date as again, one will be ticketed the same rates as a car. carry registration for scooter with you as you would for a car. a word regarding up keep, make sure you replenish oil regularly. look at tread on tires as well as air in tires. same as with a car. make sure to LCOK UP VEHICLE. depending upon if it's a disc brake or not, one can purchase a special scooter size brake lock form Ducati. if it isn't a disc brake try U shaped locks and on both the front tire and on the rear. with all of this in mind, it is a blast to drive around on a scooter, enjoying mother nature and our picturesque surroundings. and maria, advise them to wear a helmet, though not law, i would hate for you to be caught not mentioning this as you could be held responsible for omitting this advice.

[Hover]

Thanks for your help Maria.
Most of what your friend said I already knew as my only form of transportation when I was in university was a motorcycle. My original post questions about the parking issues around SoBe are what concerns me. Can your friend give me any insight to those questions? Thanks.

Alex

[Maria de los Angeles]

Hi Hover!

My friend did address parking. See here:

as for parking, be aware scooters get parking tickets like cars. same price. no difference. my suggestion is try to park on the white line between parking spaces and make sure the cars have money in their meters. one can park on private property with permission from the owner. ask shopkeepers, etc., if it’s ok. most will say yes if you are a patron of their establishment.

[Hover]

Thanks Maria. Looks like I'm going to find out the hard way about parking on the street and such. I still can't figure out how I'm supposed to buy a parking slip at a meter and then put it where on my bike? Oh well, I already have a motorcycle and it's coming with me anyway when I move. Thanks again for all your help Maria.

Alex

[BryanSereny]

Alex,

On Ocean Drive and Lincoln rd there are designated spots for motorcycles/scooters. You can also park between cars. Just slip the parking ticket between your handlebars, or by the license plate. Be sure to use plastic when you make your purchase at the meter so that if someone takes it (has never happened to me) you will have proof to show to the city to get out of a parking violation. There are certain areas on the beach where you can get away with parking for free which is a nice bonus

[Maria de los Angeles]

Bryan, that is a good point about the plastic. Also, the parking slip does come with a receipt, which you can also keep, of course, as proof that you paid for parking.

[Hover]

Thanks for the great advice Bryan.

[Michelle]

Maria, unfortunately, the parking tckets don't come with receipts. If you don't pay with a credit card, there is no way to verify that you did in fact pay for the ticket if someone happens to steal the ticket from your scooter/moped.

And speaking of those parking meters, I am beginning to think they are one of the worst inventions ever made. In South Beach, I have to consistently go to at least 3 parking machines to find one that doesn't say my card is unreadable. They are the same three machines I use at least 4 times a week when I go to the gym. I can't possibly understand why onmTuesday my card will work in one machine but on Wednesday, same card, same machine, and it doesn't work.

The Design District is worse. The other night Gus and I decided to go to dinner cloer to our house but not close enough that we would walk. There was a bunch of people at each parking machine trying to pay to get a ticket. One machine ate someone's money wothout giving them a ticket, another ate someone's credit card, and the third didn't accept 3 of the credit cards I tried and they didn't accept dollars, only coins.

I'm sorry - I just don't get it. Were those parking machines supposed to make a positive difference? What a joke! Has anyone else experienced issues with these machines?

[BryanSereny]

Bryan, that is a good point about the plastic. Also, the parking slip does come with a receipt, which you can also keep, of course, as proof that you paid for parking.

Thats an even better idea! I never noticed, thanks for the tip :)

[Suzanne C]

Boom or Bust Miami made an interesting point with reference to the following picture.
1st rule of scooter etiquette, WEAR UNDIES!!!

[Gus]

The 2nd rule of scooter etiquette, WEAR PROPER SHOES FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD.

Have you ever stubbed your toe? Times how that feels by 50.

Perhaps the carefree couple in the picture above was never forced to watch the "Red Asphalt" driver's education video.

"Innocent men, women, and children are being killed out there, in the kind of number we expect to see during a war. Last year, 362,000 Californians were wounded during this war, and in just that one year, 5,000 died."

Just hearing about that video use to scare me. Sometimes 'shock and awe' tactics work.

Hey Alex, please don't be put off by all this heavy-handed talk. Motorcycle riding is a pastime many people enjoy here.

[Hover]

Hi Gus,
Don't worry, I'm not put off at all. I have been riding for years and what you and others have said about safety is right. Riding a motorcycle/scooter through traffic in Miami Beach can get you seriously hurt even if you are being careful. But what a great way to get around!

Alex

[wuicho]

Segway's are for "girlie men". Motorcycles are nice, but if you want to avoid traffic, save money on gas/parking, and pick up some hot South Beach chicks buy a Jet pack. The Jet pack H202-Z runs on Hydrogen peroxide so you will never have to worry about high gas prices. Parking is a snap, and traffic is non-existent. Chicks will line up to go out with you!
P.S. Ditch the scooter idea. Scooters will only attract chonga's (chonga's are the kind of girls that buy their jewelry from the flea market for $2.99 and say chongalicious) from Hialeah.