On Oct. 27, DU’s Department of Parking Services set into effect a new policy concerning scooters on campus, both in regards to parking and operating. Scooter operators will no longer be allowed to park on campus at locations such as lawns, sidewalks or at bike racks, nor will they be allowed to drive along sidewalks. Ticketing for these violations will begin on Nov. 10.

Nine parking locations have been designated for scooter operators, according to James Johnston, sergeant of community partnerships for the Department of Campus Safety (DCS). Six of these are on the northern end of campus and three are on the southern side. There will be 82 individual parking spots in total, according to Johnston.

This new policy was put into place as a result of the increasing number of scooter-related complaints during both the 2014 Spring and Fall Quarters, according to Sgt. Stephen Banet, crime prevention specialist for DCS.

“Not just Campus Safety, but University administration [has] received a lot of complaints about scooter parking and scooter driving on the walkways of campus,” said Banet, “There have been a bunch of near-collisions and we’ve also had a lot of complaints from bike riders because they can’t get to the bike racks because they are surrounded by parked scooters.”

Before this policy was implemented, there was no existing policy regarding scooters due to a lack of need for such measures, according to Banet; scooters with an engine displacement below 50 cubic centimeters (cc) do not require a specific license.

“In the past we’ve allowed scooters to park on the sidewalks that were under 50 cc, [because they] don’t require a license to operate,” said Banet.

Banet says there were also previously very few scooters on campus.
“Starting last spring, with gasoline prices going up and everything, people started realizing how easy it was to get around and save money on them,” said Banet.

There are now 75 registered scooters on campus, according to Johnston. There are several steps required for these scooter owners to obtain a parking permit.

“First off they have to register through parking services, before they purchase the permit for 20 dollars,” said Jonhston. “The permit is valid in all of the scooter parking lots. In order to register through Parking Services they must also be registered through the state of Colorado.”

Scooter operators will have to go to the DMV and go through its process to register their scooters. According to Johnston, operators will need to provide the make, model, color, Colorado registration sticker number and vehicle identification number (VIN) to register with DU Parking Services before receiving a parking permit.

Banet said that beyond parking, scooters will be treated like any other motor vehicle, meaning scooter-operators will have to drive in city streets. According to Johnston, scooter-operators will begin to receive up to a $60 fine for driving on a walkway if they do not comply.

While these measures are a start in addressing the issue, DCS recognizes many issues surrounding scooter use that still need to be dealt with, according to Banet.

“Some of the areas that we’ve identified where we know we need more parking for scooters include [the] Daniels College of Business and [the] Academic Commons,” said Banet. “…we want to avoid a collision from happening, so I think it’s a good start.”