RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
The Dispatch wrote
Scooters gaining appeal as alternative transportation
Saturday, July 5, 2008
BY KEVIN JOY
No longer a plaything of geeks and hipsters, scooters are zipping into the consciousness of drivers once indifferent to two-wheeled transportation.
Nationwide, first-quarter scooter sales were up 24 percent this year, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. Interest is rising, too, in central Ohio. “The word I would use is explosive,” said Bruce Ridenour, owner of the Far East Side motorbike dealer Motohio, where scooter purchases spiked 45 percent during the first six months of the year from the same period in 2007.
Although they relish their vehicles, longtime riders see some downsides. Andrew Miller worries that new riders will buy cheap, poorly built models that require frequent repairs and don’t provide much safety. “You feel more vulnerable,” said Mary Martineau, a 38-year-old who rides a red 1963 Vespa mostly on side streets. “Cars might not be looking for you.”
Urban parking, of course, is sometimes a pain. Because a scooter is licensed, it can’t share a parking space or meter, nor can it be put in a bike rack. Mayor Michael B. Coleman will soon announce details of a scooter- and motorcycle-parking initiative.
Comments
- cheap: i highly recommend the Millersport sweet corn festival of course,the cor
- Jimmy Mak: Thanks for the write-up! Just to clarify - this is the third year we've do
- Briana Henry: Well, eventually they plan to add more bands from the region...gotta start
- bucki12: I like the business model, but the internet sales part seems like something
- racheltb: I don't see the Ohio Shrimp Fest on the list. It is truly a good time. h
Top Stories
- Grandview Yard Seeks Retail Anchors for Next Phase of Development33
- Studio 35 Re-Opening is a Revelation17
- Attn: Columbus Creatives!14
- Philanthropy Friday: Bicentennial Towers 14
- More Downtown Public Artwork Coming to Scioto Mile11
- Liberty Place Adding Over 200 New Apartment Units to The Brewery District11
- Columbus Ranks #22 on List of Best Large Cities for Jobs in 201210
- The Short North's Summer of Construction10
- The Hudson Street Market Renovates, Faces Construction Woes10
- Wonder Bread Lofts will be Home to Mixed-Use Redevelopment10
Scooters gaining appeal as alternative transportation
By: Walker
Related Posts:
I thought this was a good article. Lots of info, no screamingly-wrong facts.
Little edit there. :wink:
I thought the article turned out pretty well.
Although I don’t recall using the term “brother” when I replied to getting roughly 80 mpg in the initial Q&A portion.
Oh, nice. Three CU’ers quoted in this article. :D
Little edit there. :wink:
I have never seen a hipster riding a scooter. the Dispatch fumbles again brother. Did Hulk Hogan get interviewed for this article?
I’ve said this before but everytime I go by Zoot Scoots in clintonville I always can’t help but be amazed that there are always 5-6 people walking around the lot (it has a tiny lot, so 5-6 people is a big number), staring at scooters. It’s pretty cool. I kinda want one myself 8)
… Another summer, another increase in my scooter’s value. Holla.
Little edit there. :wink:
I have never seen a hipster riding a scooter. the Dispatch fumbles again brother. Did Hulk Hogan get interviewed for this article?
I’ve seen a few. Most of us seem to be more geeky.
I, myself, am a great big nerd. I just get a woody for efficient machinery.
Little edit there. :wink:
I have never seen a hipster riding a scooter. the Dispatch fumbles again brother. Did Hulk Hogan get interviewed for this article?
I’ve seen a few. Most of us seem to be more geeky.
I, myself, am a great big nerd. I just get a woody for efficient machinery.
The ownership and use of a scooter I believe to be against any hipster ideals/core principles. You probably saw geeks that were scenesters.
The ownership and use of a scooter I believe to be against any hipster ideals/core principles. You probably saw geeks that were scenesters.
I think you may be right. I can usually recognize emos, club kids, goths, hippies, chavs, parrotheads, otakus, mods, and rockers. But, I’m not sure how to tell hipsters from scenesters.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
BY NICQUEL TERRY
They’re popular, gas-friendly and stylish. But doctors say the increasing number on the road is likely to mean more people coming into emergency rooms.
They’re motorized scooters.
Health officials say numbers on individual scooter accidents often aren’t tracked, but Mount Carmel West physician Jeffrey Thurston said he’s observed a spike in injuries from scooter accidents. Thurston, an internal-medicine physician, said he has assisted more patients from scooter accidents recently than in previous years.
READ MORE
The Dispatch also wrote:
Couple’s scooter hits SUV; OSU president’s daughter, son-in-law hospitalized
Monday, July 14, 2008 3:44 AM
E. Gordon Gee’s son-in-law suffered what authorities said were life-threatening injuries Saturday night while riding a motor scooter in suburban Philadelphia with Gee’s daughter, Rebekah.
Dr. Allan Moore, 31, was operating the couple’s 2001 Vespa when it collided with a sport-utility vehicle. He was in critical condition last night in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with abdominal and head injuries.
His wife and passenger, Dr. Rebekah Gee, 32, was in fair condition in the same hospital with a broken leg and other injuries.
[url]http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/07/14/Rebekah.ART_ART_07-14-08_B2_3VAOEBA.html?sid=101[/url]
Friday, July 18, 2008
by Dan Eaton
Some scooters have enough power to reach highway speeds, but that’s nothing compared with how quickly the fuel-efficient vehicles are driving out of showrooms nationwide.
Now the booming scooter market – sales are up 24 percent this year and have more than doubled since 2001 – is being followed by a boom in scooter dealers.
“There isn’t enough product to meet demand,” said Chris Haehn, owner of Columbus Scooter & Cycle Outlet, a store opening next week at 935 King Ave.
Zoot Scoots owner Rick Beam, who has been in the business since 2001, saw competition increase when gas hit the $3-per-gallon mark last year and now again at the $4 threshold.
Kickstart also has a buffer from any fluctuations in the industry, albeit one of a different sort. That scooter shop opened in June and plans to have a 2,100-square-foot coffee shop next door in August, offering Caruso’s Coffee as well as bagels and pastries from local shops.
READ MORE