Vespa dealership relocating to Loop area

The St. Louis area Vespa scooter dealership is relocating from St. Louis County (Rock Hill) to the City of St. Louis. Sources tell me it will be on Delmar in the loop so it might actually end up in University City but that is close enough in my book. You read it here first (not the Post-Dispatch or the St. Louis Business Journal).

If you are not ready to take up bicycling, a scooter is a great way to get from point A to point B without using tons of fuel or taking up too much space. I plan to purchase a scooter in 2005 for those times when I don’t want to cycle but don’t want to drive my car. Scooters are wildly popular in urban cities such as NYC.

In most municipalities, scooters with a 50cc engine or less do not require liability insurance, license plates or even a special motorcycle license (they do require a driver’s license). Larger engined scooters are treated like motorcycles. Always wear a proper helmet for safety when riding a scooter or bicycle.

One dealership located downtown is selling 50cc scooters from Seattle area company Twist-N-Go. Auto World (yikes) located at 1422 Delmar has just received a shipment of these urban commuter scooters. Their phone number is 314-436-2788. Given their proximity to all the lofts they should do well. Long time motorcycle dealer 3628 South Broadway, Widman Motorcycle Sales, carries the Derbi line of scooters imported from Spain.

The Stella from Genuine Scooters is based on the classic P-Series Vespa. The BMW Motorcycle dealership on Forest Park used to carry Aprilia scooters but they have moved out to the county. The Aprilia scooter dealership is now at Extreme Toys on Lemay Ferry in South County.

The City of Warrenton Missouri may have inadvertently outlawed these commuter scooters recently. From the November 9th Post-Dispatch, “The Warrenton Board of Aldermen at its Tuesday, Nov. 2 meeting approved an ordinance that prohibits the use of motorized scooters in the city of Warrenton. Other than disabled persons, residents cannot use motorized bicycles or scooters on streets, highways, roadways, sidewalks or any other property in the city. The new ordinance describes a motorized scooter as “any two, three (or) four wheeled device having handlebars that are attached to a foot board, which is designed to be either stood upon by the operator or equipped with a seat, and is powered by a motor that is capable of propelling the device with or without human propulsion.”

I spoke with a Warrenton police offer who confirmed that any motorized scooter of less than 50cc’s is not permitted on a street in Warrenton. More than 50ccs is consider a motorcycle and thus subject to the normal licensing and motorcycle license. Bummer, but it is not like I’d ever go to Warrenton anyway. Bicyclists note – this also applies to motorized bicycles!

In addition to needing dedicated bicycle parking we also need special areas for scooter & motorcycle parking. Below is an example in San Francisco of a parking meter to service multiple cycle spaces.